West Ham Academy training ground at Little Heath Hainault Road - Is it moving?

 West Ham Training Ground Little Heath - on the move?

"According to campaign group Save Oakfield Society (SoS), Redbridge Council is in negotiations that could see part of the field used as West Ham’s training grounds."
Ilford Recorder 

Now why would Redbridge be interested in this space and what about the School and the Tennis Club at Little Heath?

West Ham United - Little Heath

Could there be a conspiracy? or is it simply because they want to make the proposed development at Billet Road even bigger?

Billet Road Masterplan .. currently

The white area bottom left is West Ham ground, the school and the tennis courts. 

Local plan will be out soon, no planning applications in yet .. who will be proved right when they appear .. and why all the secrecy???

Fears ‘orange’ water has contaminated land near school and farm

Orange water runs through Willow Farm on Billet Road and near a special needs school on Hainault Road. (Ilford Recorder)

The environment Agency is investigating the water course although the likely reason for this is the contaminated landfill which was an unlicensed tip in the 1970's. 

"In November 2019 the owner, Sunshine Island Properties Ltd, an entity registered in the British Virgin Islands, built fences around the land and dug a large hole in one corner.

It followed a hearing at Romford County Court in which Sunshine re-asserted its claim to the site over a group of local businessmen.

When approached by the Recorder the company did not comment.

Redbridge Council said the works carried out were “routine ground works” and investigations would be carried out at the same time."

Proposals for 1,100 new homes in Little Heath spark traffic fears - Billet Road

The last Redbridge local plan included opportunity site at Billet Road (Site99) for a Secondary school and 800 + new homes. What will the next Draft Local Plan say - due out soon?

The roads here can't cope with current traffic and that is before the development at Marks Gate with additional 291 homes and further 'regeneration' in the pipeline.

Ilford Recorder 

Chris Gannaway, a member of the Aldborough Hatch Defence Association’s executive committee prepared a report in response to the plans. He said: “It is going to be horrendous for traffic the area. In my opinion, of all the sites listed in the Local Plan this is the worst. There is no way the current infrastructure can deal with it.

“We’re 2.5km from the nearest station, so people can’t walk, and the bus service is dire because the traffic in the area is so bad.”

Even in lockdown the situation was no different.

Billet Road - No school needed says Redbridge

 Billet Road 'opportunity site' Masterplan included a secondary school (see Map) but its no longer necessary .. why?

the demand for pupil places has fallen across the borough and across London. In Redbridge, between 2017 and the end of the 2020-21 academic year, there was an average of 7% of surplus places.Equivalent of almost 10 empty classes.

The decline in overall demand is partly linked to a reduction in the number of ‘Redbridge live births’ (declining since 2016)  who are no longer resident in the borough by the time their child reaches statutory school age. At present, by the time they reach the age of 4, around 12% of children born in Redbridge have moved out of the borough.

impact of Brexit on both inward migration into the borough and outward migration from Redbridge to other EU countries; a decline in inward migration of families with school age children to Redbridge from other parts of London and the UK; and a decline in inward migration of families with school age children to Redbridge from countries outside of the EU.

Evidence of the falling demand for places moving into secondary is already being seen in the number of schools starting the academic year with surplus places in Year 7, which went from three schools in 2017 to nine schools for the start of 2020.

The current and future position with pupil place demand in Redbridge is replicated across London. Many London boroughs are seeing a similar picture, with the range of surplus places between 3.6% and 22.7% in 2020-21.

Surplus Sites for Additional School Places- 13 Sept 2021

No new schools needed in Redbridge - so are new homes needed?

 Ilford recorder report on the Schools' Funding Forum meeting: "Council says plans for two new schools should stop"

The reasons given are:

• Birth Rate down "Live births in Redbridge increased until 2015 and then started to decline. Between 2017 and 2019, there was a 4.5% decrease in the live birth rate within the borough and when it becomes available, we expect that data for 2020 and on into the next few years will see the trend of falling birth rates continue.
  
  
• Migration " the impact of outward migration" people leaving and less people moving from inner to outer London. They are moving out of London altogether. "Migration from other parts of the world is virtually non-existent"

Begs the question if less families / children means less schools then why are more new homes needed?

Forum Minutes 

Building on Polluted Land - Hydrocarbons shut down site

As previously discussed the land at Billet Road is unlicensed landfill and therefore polluted. Its also polluted from the lorry park and car traders on the site.

A Redevelopment was halted last year at a site in Hackney Wick when Hackney council confirmed the cause of horrendous smells as the historic contamination of the site's land by hydrocarbons, including bensene and naphthalene.  Hackney Citizen  "Furious Hackney Wick residents demand answers over contaminated construction site" 

The same Hydrocarbons that shut down this site, have a High risk of occurrence with a High overall risk rating as the land at Billet Road (site 99), which also has a long list of additional pollutants.

And according to the Guardian a redevelopment site in Southall London, (Guardian Families hit out at London gasworks redevelopment ) Parents claim lack of Pollution regulations at a new brownfield development is putting children's health at risk.
"In early 2017, work began on cleaning the soil on the site, using a process (remediation) to remove contaminants in an open-air “soil hospital” (that bank) behind the homes. The soil was found to contain hydrocarbons including benzene , a known carcinogen, naphthalene, asbestos and cyanide, and it was decided cleaning the soil was safer than transporting contaminated material along residential streets."
Local residents are complaining of rashes, migraines and asthma.  

"A toxicology report obtained via a freedom of information request contains the line: “There are no private gardens proposed cannot grow vegtables on the contaminated soil ever! [sic]”

Unlicensed landfill AND gravel extraction?

Unlicensed Landfill and/or Former Gravel Extraction at Billet Road Site 99? Does anyone know?

In Mar 2016 Savills were asked to report on the site (now Site 99) at Billet Road and provide advice on Minerals there.

Savills  say:  Environment Agency told them that the site was an unlicensed tip and received waste between 1970 and 1973 and that the Environment Agency have NO additional information including whether the tipping was illegal or undertaken via a waste exemption.

Savills say: it is designated Mineral Search Area. Area where the presence of significant mineral reserves is indicated by the BGS mapping but not yet confirmed by bore hole drilling (boreholes shown in purple below are insufficient and do not cover the whole area).

Savills File: CHMI361971 Plan: WillowSite1 Drwn by: AEH Date: 22 Feb 2016

Savills say: the Minerals Local Plan notes that Brett Lafarge indicated that the site may have been worked and then landfilled by PT Reid Ltd between 1965 and 1975 adding that the data is not entirely reliable and the area could contain viable deposits. Additionally the Minerals Local Plan shows a large part of the land having been worked in the past.

Redbridge Former minerals extraction areas

So if the site was worked and landfilled then "Policy M9: Priorities for Restoration and After-Use" would apply:
The Council’s priority objective for restoration and aftercare of former minerals land is the promotion of nature conservation as an end in itself, or in tandem with agriculture or open space sport/recreation. Restoration strategies should support national, regional and local biodiversity priorities as expressed in:

• The UK Biodiversity Action Plan.

• The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Minerals Restoration Potential (MRP) Project. Where sites are identified as capable of supporting priority habitat creation or prove to be capable of achieving RSPB objectives, the aim should be to restore those sites in line with MRP Project habitat priority levels.

• The Mayor of London’s Biodiversity Strategy and London Plan Policy 7.19 Biodiversity and Access to Nature.

• The Redbridge Biodiversity Action Plan.

Some former minerals quarry land in Redbridge has been restored to agricultural use. Although returns from farming urban edge land may be very marginal, the Council would support agriculture at least on those parts of sites with less critical environmental values. 

Much former minerals land in Redbridge has also been restored for wildlife and open space and recreational uses. These include footpaths, bridal ways, reed beds, riding schools, football pitches, sailing and angling clubs and golf courses. There have been some nature conservation initiatives on land previously used for minerals extraction and more are planned. Nature conservation and sport/recreation can go hand in hand as appropriate uses of open space.

As Site 99 Contains a stable, horses grazing, kennels, wildlife, a farm and agricultural use, which all fit the "restoration and aftercare of former mineral sites", exactly why does London Borough of Redbridge plan to build on it?

Billet Road Site 99 was unlicensed landfill - what lies beneath?

Defra show the site London Borough of Redbridge intend to build 800 homes on and a school was an unlicensed landfill site in the 1970's.

Historic Landfill site Defra

A site report by REC Resource & Environmental Consultants Ltd Nov 2014 states:

In case this is hard to read the list is:
As (Arsenic),
Cd (Cadmium),
Cr (Chromium),
Pb (Lead),
Hg (Hydrargyrum),
Se (Selenium),
Ni (Nickel)
Asbestos Fibers in soil
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH)
Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) (hexane, benzene, toluene, xylenes, naphthalene)
Ground Gases 
Herbicides and Pesticides
Heavy metals, 

On site potential Sources includes 'Potential harmful ground gasses and contaminants contained within the historic landfill and potential historic agricultural land use.

Off site potential sources include active landfill 138m, off site tank 100m.

Potential Pathways - receptors may be potentially at risk from the identified potential sources of contamination via the following pathways:

• Migration of mobile contaminants on or off site via services, sewers and man made conduits
• Direct contact, ingestion and inhalation of contaminants on site
• Migration of contaminated dusts during easthworks
• Migration of mobile contaminants into groundwater and transport into surface waters
• Migration of mobile contaminants directly into the surface waters
• Migration of hazardous gases and 
• Uptake of toxins/phytotoxins by plants

Potential Receptors - REC has identified the following possible receptors:

• Future users of the site and buildings
• Tertiary River situated approx 65m to the west
• Underlying Secondary (A) aquifer

They add that construction workers are not considered to be a plausible receptor as exposure will be managed through the use of appropriate PPE and that exposure is likely to be for a short duration. BUT what of the residents nearby???

Under Buildings, foundations and services, the reports says that 'breaking ground to develop on site has the potential to disturb and mobilise contaminants in the historic landfill. Elevated sulphate concentrations could effect the integrity of buried concrete structures. Services may be affected by aggressive contaminants and may corride or penetrate services. Water supply pipes can be susceptible to penetration by hydrocarbons which may affect the quality of the water supply.'

Ilford Recorder - Fears 'Orange' water has contaminated land near school and farm' at Billet Road In a recent report, Redbridge Council noted: “The Environment Agency advised that the area… appears to have been an unlicensed tip that received waste between 1970 and 1973.” An Environment Agency spokesman said: ““We are currently investigating a report of a suspicious liquid in Seven Kings Water at Little Heath."

Aecom & London Borough of Redbridge

Letter from Aecom to Redbridge

In December 2014, we submitted representations to the Preferred Options Report Extension consultation on behalf of East Thames under the name of URS, our legacy company. This presented a comprehensive case for de-allocating the land south of Billet Road from the Green Belt. 

We submitted further representations in July 2016 to the Local Plan Review 2015-2030: Pre-Submission Draft consultation. This supported the objectives of the pre-submission draft.

The Council’s proposed housing supply is mainly brownfield, these opportunities may be less deliverable than the larger greenfield sites as they are small, fragmented, in multiple ownerships, and tend to have relatively more physical constraints.

 So that says it all, there is brownfield but it may be less deliverable - does that translate as more expensive?

Aecom article 'Optimising build to rent returns'  probably explains their great interest in the Billet Road site 99. But what does it mean to those living in London Borough of Redbridge and wanting homes? Will they be able to afford any? will they all be sold to 'investors'?

East Thames Housing Association Design requirements

URS Representations on behalf of East Thames Group

Hedge Height decides Green Belt de-designation Billet Road

Developers Aecom claimed 'a number of high hedges served to completely isolate the Billet Road land (site 99) from the rest of Fairlop green belt.'

Not a very high hedge ...  isolate? really?

The Hedge - Billet Road Google Map

Site 99 clearly part of Fairlop Plain

 

Brownfield sites available for 12,579 homes in Redbridge

The Green Belt of Redbridge is being destroyed despite the fact that there are brownfield sites available - WHY??

According to Campaign to Protect Rural England / Redbridge Council:

12,579 homes can be built on 128 identified brownfield sites in Redbridge

See Ilford Recorder.

Lets at least start with these. Stop wasting time and money trying to destroy the Green Belt, build the homes on the brown field sites and then see what, if anything else, is needed and also look at the brown field sites that have been missed off the register or any that have subsequently become available.

According to Redbridge Council the Local Plan was widely consulted on - with who? certainly not with the local residents. These being the people that actually pay for all this in the first place.

The Ilford recorder reported on the the saving of Oakfields playing fields in Barkingside BUT failed to report on the loss of Green Belt at Billet Road. So instead of 850 homes being built on Oakfields (Green Belt) they are to be built on Billet Road (Green Belt).

According to DEFRA the very site Redbridge want to build homes and a school on is Landfill.