A COMMUNITY has reacted with anger at plans for a new development which, they claim, will lead to the destruction of their gardens.
In May, residents of Wheelers Farm Gardens in North Weald united to oppose plans to build a two-storey extension to a semi-detached house in Harrison Drive, next to their homes.
Epping Forest District Council rejected the plans in June on the grounds that they would have an adverse impact on neighbouring properties.
But developer Darren Hunt has submitted new plans, in which the size of the building is reduced in an effort to address residents’ concerns. However the alterations have not gone far enough, they claim.
They say that a row of trees, which separates their gardens from the proposed development, would need to be chopped down for any work to take place on the new extension.
This, they say, would mean their view of the trees, which overlook their gardens, would be replaced by one of a blank wall.
Doreen Griffiths, 73, has lived in Wheelers Farm gardens for 10 years. Her house directly overlooks the proposed development.
She said: “At the minute we have a lovely spot there with the gardens and trees. If this is built we would wake up in the morning and be looking at a brick wall.
“It would make a complete difference to our lives. If it goes ahead we would have to uproot and move and we really do not want to do that.”
Doug Dearman led the residents’ campaign against the first set of plans submitted.
He said: “These are the same problems. They have just moved the building a little bit, about a metre-and-a-half. It would still block out the light.
“If they put up scaffolding on that side of the development they will have to cut all of the trees down.”
The developer’s agent, Stephen Hayhurst, said: “The trees are not going to be removed. There is a clear gap of a metre between the side wall of the proposed house and the nearest part of the trees. This perfectly adequate space to build the scaffolding and all of the existing trees would be preserved.
“The building would fall in the root protection zone of some of the trees.”
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