Battle to save green space

12 March 2010

Land between Gooshays Drive and Petersfield Avenue, Harold Hill, which the council wants to sell to developers

OUTRAGED residents are preparing to mount a legal challenge to fight Havering Council's proposals to sell a parcel of land to developers.

At least £7,000 has been collected from residents by Cllr Mark Logan (BNP, Gooshays), for the Havering fighting fund to seek a judicial review of plans to build houses on the green space between Gooshays Drive and Petersfield Avenue, Harold Hill.

Cllr Logan said: "This is the only thing the council listen to and we need to make a legal challenge. They seem adamant on putting their claws into the land and nothing is going to curb them other than this."

As part of the Harold Hill Ambitions project, the council wants to sell off the nine-acre site to developers for around 250 homes.

But the plans have been heavily criticised by some members of the community, because the site is home to the Abermale Youth House, two junior football pitches, two tennis courts and an archery training ground.

They also claim it has become a favourite spot for dog walkers and sports clubs.

In November, former Harold Hill councillor Dennis Cook started a petition to stop the council building on the land.

At the full council meeting in February, Cllr Keith Darvill (Lab, Heaton), presented the petition to members and clashed with Cllr Steven Kelly (Con, Emerson Park) over the sale of the land.

He said: "It should never be sold off, it has always been green.

"It is maintained by the park department, and to build houses on it would be a breach of the council policy because it will be used to raise capital."

The green site was initially set up at the same time as Harold Hill in the 1950s, and although the site was earmarked to have a railway station - to help people living in the area to get better access to London - the plans never went ahead.

But Cllr Kelly argues that the land is Brownfield and is not Green Belt.

He said: "The Harold Hill Ambitions project is a very good thing and the one thing we must not start is being picky and say that we do not want to build on that land.

"The public do not use the facilities because there is a football pitch which has not been used for a long time, and a youth club, which people do not like, so we are working on making the site better."

Cllr Darvill has questioned the effectiveness of the judicial review at this early stage.

He said: "Bringing in a judicial review is not the way to go ahead with things because at the moment is it just a policy.

"It would not be right to collect that money.

"The possibility of a judicial review would be better suited if and when it becomes a planning application.