The development hopefuls at 14-28 Cambridge Road, Stansted seem set for confrontation with the Stansted community, including its district and parish councillors, in contrast with the more co-operative approach of the prospective developer of the health centre complex in Lower Street. See last blog post. A new planning application has been submitted by Bellway Homes […]

The council has appointed an economic development officer for the first time in recent years. Simon Jackson’s job will be to establish a council policy for businesses and jobs throughout Uttlesford so that UDC can become more supportive of the local economy. This has relevance to Stansted Mountfitchet and how it is to be affected […]

A week ago saw two refusals of Stansted planning applications. One was in Lower Street for a building for health centre/retail/apartments and the other was behind Cambridge Road for a housing enclave. I spoke against both applications; not because redevelopment won’t be good on both sites, but because both were the wrong type of development. Both sites are due for regeneration. We desperately […]

Uttlesford claimants of council tax and housing benefit payments are still some way off knowing what standard of performance they can expect from the council. I am hoping that progress can be made during the rest of 2012. At November’s standards committee hearing I was said to have brought the council into disrepute for saying […]

It was quite clear at Wednesday’s appeal tribunal that the judge and her two colleagues didn’t think much of Uttlesford’s case against me. This was already obvious from the Listing Direction which I received in advance of the hearing. See document 1 below. My appeal application, less appendices, can be read at 2 below. The council’s case […]

I won my appeal today against the council’s standards committee and the complaint by the chief executive that I had brought the council into disrepute. At the end of the tribunal the judge said that I should use my blog to put the record straight. This is the first of several post in which I […]

Key messages from a residents’ survey about community needs in Stansted were released today. Over 450 people responded to the survey about how money from the Forest Hall Park developers should be used to benefit the community. The messages are: 1. The Liberal Democrats asked residents how to spend £1-2 million from the developers of Forest […]

Residents and developers at Forest Hall Park, Stansted are demanding that Uttlesford District Council listens to them about how a community fund should be spent. The results of a survey of residents of Forest Hall Park, Stansted were published last week at a meeting of the residents’ association. I presented the results to a record […]

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 […]

I suppose I was naive to ask the question in my last post “will the cabinet listen to reason”? Of course, not. They had done a deal behind the scenes to give one-third of Stansted’s money from the Foresthall Park developers to Birchanger village, and they never change their mind. So a parish that will soon shrink […]