Stansted’s Free Church hall was packed last night. People were standing all round the walls. Seats were offered to the elderly and pregnant. Was it about to turn into an antenatal session? Certainly most present want to see the birth of a decent health facility sooner rather than later.

This was the community in action; a meeting not arranged by councils or government agencies, but by frustrated residents totally fed up with years of delay.

Yet there remain differences of opinion. The building design was criticised. One person told me she thought it looks like the Italian beached cruise ship. The developers say the design, which is unconventional, was chosen by the district council. That is news to me.

There was concern about whether there is enough car parking after one lady said that parking lots have recently been rented out to residents, so reducing the spaces available. The developers didn’t know this. Nor did I. Someone at UDC needs to clarify whether the car park is adequate. There was uproar when the developer said that there would be more space if the sketboard park were cleared away!! Alan Goldsmith, the owner of Mountfitchet Castle, isn’t happy with the proposed reduction in coach park lots.

The biggest confusion is over highways. When parish council chairman, Geoffrey Sell, asked if there were now a ‘meeting of minds’ over the road layout at the nearby complicated junction, it was suggested that all is well. However, I then said that I understood that Essex Highways Authority was not yet satisfied that the mini-roundabout would work and wanted a pedestrian crossing across Lower Street. A neighbour of mine said he already took his life into his hands trying to cross the road with his children. So what will happen with more cars and pedestrians flocking to the doctor and proposed mini-store? A local businessman said a crossing would wipe out on-street parking slots and would damage shops and businesses.

It then became clearer that there is a meeting next Tuesday between highways and planning officers to work out what else the developers need to do to satisfy highways’ expectation that the road must be safe and traffic must be able to flow better. And how can the on-street parking for the shops be protected (see earlier blog posts)?

I still don’t know when the application is going to be determined. Council officers told me this week it will be on February 8th. I have sent in a representation saying that’s too soon if the highways issues are to be dealt with properly. The developer and the meeting organiser say they think it won’t be before March.

The meeting organiser, Ray Woodcock,  who had done a good job in getting all these issues out into the open, started the meeting by quoting from my November Link magazine article about the need for transparency in planning if people are to have trust in what is goes on. I invited planning or highways officers to attend last night’s meeting to explain the score. They didn’t attend. One way or another, Stansted residents want more explanation, especially on the conflicts between highway safety, existing shops and businesses, and this new commercial venture with a much needed health centre.

If there have to be compromises, everyone needs to know what they are and what the effects will be on the Stansted community. It’s not good enough for technical experts to sort out a deal behind closed doors. Stansted residents want to be involved by being consulted on the full story.