The good old internet means there is still time for lots of the people reading this to make a quick and easy objection to the proposal to build on wildlife land of London importance at Crayford Rough, since Bexley Council accepts comments up to the day of the planning meeting. Some pre-prepared bullet points are suggested below.
Simply send an e-mail to developmentcontrol@bexley.gov.uk
on or before Wednesday 13th April, quoting Planning application 15/00830/FULM in the subject line, and giving your name and address at the end.
Then say ….
Reference planning application 15/00830/FULM, I object to that part of the proposal that would see some 10% of the Crayford Rough Metropolitan Site of Importance for Nature Conservation, which is outside of the existing industrial estate fenceline, built on. I request that the application be refused if this part of it is not rescinded. I am also concerned about the height and overall scale of the buildings given the proximity to the River Cray.
Then include any or all of the following points as you see fit:
- I note that the application proposes building more than twice as many flats as set out in the Council’s ‘Crayford Strategy and Action Plan’ (2005)
- All habitat on the Rough is not equal for all species, and the part that would be lost is the most important for orchids, which are rare in Bexley, the nationally scarce Yellow Vetchling and reptiles, which are Biodiversity Action Plan priority species.
- The application is contrary to national, regional and Bexley biodiversity conservation policies, and neither the developer nor the Council has presented any evidence that the proposed ‘mitigation’ adequately offsets the negative biodiversity impacts.
- Constructing a six storey block of flats next to the Green Belt/Metropolitan Open Land boundary will deleteriously affect its character.
- If Bexley Council approves destruction of part of a Metropolitan SINC, the highest grade of nature conservation site in the borough, this sets a very damaging precedent, and casts severe doubt on its claim that it can pursue its ‘growth strategy’ whilst protecting those features of the Borough that we place a high value on.
If you visit the Rough, please do say what you value about it personally.
Crayford Rough. Google Earth image showing the area proposed to be built on, which 10% of the whole MSINC and is important for wildlife and outside of the old industrial estate fenceline.
For more detail (including why we’ve only brought this to everyone’s attention so late in the day) see:
Thanks!
Chris Rose. Vice-chair, Bexley Natural Environment Forum
It’s just the beginning, let them build these and who knows where it will end. Poor wildlife, who gives a thought to their ‘homes’, there’ll be nothing left for them and in years to come our children and Grandchildren will know nothing about green spaces and wildlife. IT WILL BE TOO LATE THEN.