People in Stansted are desperate for a new health centre. Most just want one that works wherever it is located. A site at Forest Hall Park was rejected by vociferous residents as being ‘too far out’. It’s still uncertain whether the latest more central proposal in Lower Street will meet planners’ expectations. New highway and […]

The latest story http://bit.ly/yjOEwt from my local Observer newspaper is only one part of a local debate about Stansted’s future health centre.  The Stansted Matters Facebook group has 260 members at the latest count. It is busy discussing the likes and dislikes of the planning application in Lower Street. This must be good for democracy. It […]

My contribution to the March edition of Stansted’s “Link” magazine follows: A medical centre: Last November’s planning application for a medical centre plus a retail floor and residential apartments at 2 Lower Street is still being evaluated.  A decision is unlikely before March. April is possible. The delay is because the developer had not provided […]

Since I reported on last Friday’s public meeting the planning timetable for Stansted’s health centre has become clearer. The planning committee will not be asked to decide for or against before March. A meeting on highway issues took place on Tuesday. There are questions about pedestrian and motorist safety that still need to be addresses with the developer. I am […]

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; […]

For the past week I have been pressing for a delay on any decision on Stansted’s proposed new health centre until highways issues are resolved. The letter to businesses delivered yesterday is part of the drive for a transparent planning process. Last night Stansted Mountfitchet Parish Council called for the application not to be determined on February 8th […]

The following letter from my colleague Iris Evans and me has been distributed to businesses in the Lower Street area of Stansted Mountfitchet. ………………. To businesses in Lower Street, Stansted   Dear Sir/Madam   UTT/2384/11/FUL Stansted Medical Centre, Lower Street, Stansted   You will probably be aware of a planning application for the above proposal […]

I have been advised today that a planning application for Stansted’s very long overdue new health centre centre has been submitted to Uttlesford District Council. The site is in Lower Street on a former agricultural merchant’s site that has most recently been a car sales area and now being used for a car wash service. […]

NHS waiting times in the West Essex PCT area are joint lowest in the East of England. Our primary care trust area is shown in the map to the right – the yellow, north-south strip to the north east of London. All surrounding areas perform better for patients on the 18-week waiting time measure.   The key in the chart below shows that between 10% […]

As I write in early July a new set of road layout plans has been submitted to Essex Highways by the prospective developer of a health centre/shopping complex at the former Hilton Cars in Lower Street. The first design was considered not to be safe or capable of handling the expected volumes of traffic. A […]