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Leigh On Sea News: Save Hadleigh Farmland – LEIGH Town Councillor Peter Wexham has spoken out against proposed developments on Salvation Army land

Save Hadleigh Farmland - LEIGH Town Councillor Peter Wexham has spoken out against proposed developments on Salvation Army land

Leigh On Sea News: Save Hadleigh Farmland – LEIGH Town Councillor Peter Wexham has spoken out against proposed developments on Salvation Army land

LEIGH Town Councillor Peter Wexham has spoken out against proposed developments on Salvation Army land many times over the years and has now, once again joined the battle against new plans for up to 2,000 homes near Hadleigh Castle.
Coun Wexham successfully battled against two previous plans for development on this Green Belt land and is now gearing up to fight these new proposals.
Coun Wexham said: “The Salvation Army land comes under threat again, the old plan for the road to the west along the seafront through Old Leigh had the railway bridge built and then the road was to go through the Salvation Army land, this was abandoned in 1976.
Then the County Council and Castle Point wanted another road off Canvey in the 1990s and this Outline Plan was coming towards Leigh, once again through the Country Park, with a roundabout on the London Road by the Borough boundary.
“We stopped that with another campaign.
“We now have another big threat coming our way. Areas South of Chapel Lane have been built on in land swoops for the Country Park – now that is to be expanded to build up to 2,000 homes.
“The main reason for stopping development coming towards Leigh has been the Green Belt, which provides a buffer zone to stop urban development and if that designation goes, it frees up the land for future development.
“The land offered up has the field between Leigh and Hadleigh as green space, that could mean a public park, but I doubt Castle Point have the resources to maintain and manage another park. This could protect the field, but if it is just green open space that does not hold the area forever, it would become future development land.
“The other situation that is not mentioned is roads.
“A Hadleigh By-Pass has been looked at many times. Hadleigh is already under stress with the busy A13 running through it – the loss of the Green Belt designation and 2,000 extra houses would make a new by pass essential for the future and that can only go through the Salvation Army land and come towards Leigh.
“If the field is a green space or a park, the road has to join up with Leigh somewhere between Western Road and Castle Drive by Leigh Station and this will have the largest effect on Leigh by using Marine Parade and the Broadway or going along New Road and up Leigh Hill, which is very Narrow, then Cliff Parade which has a weight restriction on it and Grand Parade.
“This problem is still at the drawing board stage at the present time, so it needs stopping before someone makes the decision to put this in the Castle Point Local Plan.
“The more people who get involved the better, to support the local residents that are trying to build up a campaign to fight this. At present different groups or parties are jumping on the bandwagon, but it needs to come from the local residents group, so please get behind them for the future of our Town.
“Leigh and Hadleigh will never be the same again if this Green Belt is lost to development and new roads – it is not just the roads near the Borough Boundary that will be affected, it is all of Leigh south of the London Road.

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