‘Poor quality development and lack of social infrastructure causes anger’-Jon Cruddas MP.

At a recent Preserve meeting, a group set up to tackle the over development in Havering, one of the key areas addressed by the group was the lack of adequate social infrastructure across Havering and the knock affects it is having on residents.

Labour and Resident Association members debated the poor facilities that there currently are across Havering to support all the new builds and how this is having an impact on residents across the borough. Concerns are often the issue that there are no additional facilities to deal with new arrivals in the area. The need for more schools, doctors surgeries and hospitals are often listed alongside fears that the current drainage systems often struggle when we have heavy rainfall.

Dagenham and Rainham MP Jon Cruddas has been tackling the over development issue for many years across south Hornchurch. He told the Havering Daily:

“Chasing government targets for new home numbers misses the point, what people need is to create communities and places where they would choose to live and put down roots. That means putting in place the school places, health facilities, policing and good quality green spaces alongside new homes to build sustainable and thriving areas. 

“In south Havering we have seen some poor quality development and a lack of the social infrastructure that simply puts pressure on people in the area and causes anger. Worse than that, the flood problems that have impacted so many parts of Rainham village have been exacerbated by housing schemes approved by  Havering Council over the last 10 years because the drainage from the new homes has been connected to the existing system without any expansion of capacity.”

This is clearly an ongoing issue that needs to be addressed urgently.