Clear the Air in Havering are adamant that Havering Council has a responsibility to protect its citizens.

In what ways does Havering Council withdrawing the statutory nuisance abatement notice serve either the council or its residents?

Clear The Air Havering campaigner Ruth Kettle-Frisby today writes:

 It was reported last August that Havering Council had issued a statutory nuisance abatement notice and that a community protection warning has been given to DMC (Essex) Limited, the landowner of Arnold Field on Launders Lane.

 This felt like progress because it would have required the landowner to do something about the illegal rubbish site that frequently catches fire on Launders Lane, and would also have given Havering Council powers to go on site to do work itself. 

 The landowner appealed this abatement notice, and for some reason as yet undisclosed to Havering residents, the council inexplicably withdrew the notice just before the appeal hearing.

 This begs the question: In what ways does Havering Council withdrawing the statutory nuisance abatement notice serve either the council or its residents?

 While on the face of it, we are pleased to learn that the landowner has agreed to take steps to try and prevent future fires,

 (i) The landowner was required to do this under a different notice earlier this year and as far as anyone is aware, did nothing; and 

(ii) it would have been better for the landowner to take this action whilst the abatement notice was valid so that the council would be in a position to do something about it if he didn’t do what he said he would.

 We are now in a position where, if the landowner has not done a full job by April next year, the council will then need to issue another abatement notice which the landowner will seek to appeal again, and the whole process will start again. 

 In essence, this is just another chance for nothing to happen for yet another year.

 Clear the Air in Havering are adamant that Havering Council has a responsibility to protect its citizens, and this is why we need to know why is it not taking the opportunity to force progress on this by pursuing the abatement notice, thus retaining its powers to make something happen.

As many will know, Clear the Air in Havering firmly believes that Havering Council has made a fundamentally flawed decision not to designate the site as contaminated land, and are seeking to challenge them on this in court. A designation of contaminated land would give the council both the powers and the duty to take action on the site. 

We really need your help and you can pledge to support our legal action here:

https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/stop-the-fires-launders-lane

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