EXCLUSIVE: ‘This development could lead to significant harm to the local environment, including loss of green spaces, habitats for wildlife, and increased pollution’-Harold Hill Deer Aid

Fantastic local Animal Rescue Group Harold Hill Deer Aid formally object to planning application of huge service station between Brentwood and Harold Hill.

Harold Hill Deer Aid are a team of volunteers who do an outstanding job across Havering, Essex and London saving animals. They are well known for their remarkable work, and work alongside organisations such as Transport for London, local charities, police and many other groups to support animals and their welfare.

The team are now formally objecting to a planning application (MOTO-24/00874/OUT). This is the building of a huge twin site service station on the M25 near Brentwood and the outskirts of Harold Hill. The two sites planned are between junctions 27 and 28.

Once again more green space lost.

Now, the team at Harold Hill Deer Aid have submitted a formal application stating below:

We, as an animal rescue, welfare group, who are residents of Havering and frequent users of the M25 request that this application is refused on the following grounds:

1 ) Environmental impact 

The development could lead to significant harm to the local environment and ecosystems, including loss of green spaces, habitats for wildlife, and increased pollution (air, water, and noise) due to construction and increased traffic.

The wildlife is extremely important to our local community and this development will have a significant detrimental impact on their habitat and grazing areas.

2) Traffic and Road Safety 

A new service station will lead to an increase in traffic volume on the motorway and nearby local roads, causing congestion and potential road safety issues, especially during peak times, particularly if the area is not designed to handle the additional vehicle load. This is especially critical if the site is near busy junctions or residential areas. The Brook Street junction is currently being redeveloped and it was planned and approved, apparently NOT with the forecast of such heavy traffic locally.

3) Noise and light pollution 

The 24-hour operation of a motorway service station will generate a huge amount of noise from a vast array of vehicles, deliveries, and customers, along with continuous lighting, which will massively disturb nearby residential areas, affecting their quality of life, and disrupt the many important breeds of local wildlife. 

4) Impact on local economy 

We feel that existing local service stations, fuel providers, and small businesses nearby will be negatively affected by the competition, leading to economic decline in the area, plus a loss of income and job losses in the community. Not everyone will be able to get to the service station to work so job prospects will probably be limited to those with vehicles already, which contradicts the need for people to take to public transport as set out in the Mayor of London’s initiative. 

5) Impact on local infrastructure 

There will be a huge increased demand for infrastructure, such as water supply, waste management, and emergency services, which will put a strain on local resources and affect nearby communities’ access to these services. We feel that many local residents will not be able to cope with this.

6) Loss of Agricultural or Protected Land 

The construction is highly likely to involve the conversion of farmland, green belt areas, and protected sites, disrupting agricultural activities and natural reserves, reducing biodiversity, and harming the local landscape Unsustainable development If the service station does not align with local sustainability goals, it could increase the community’s carbon footprint by encouraging more driving, leading to greater emissions and energy consumption. *

7) Visual impact and aesthetic concerns 

We feel that the large-scale development will be visually intrusive, disrupting the natural beauty of the surrounding countryside and diminishing the character, including the tranquillity, of the local area.

8) Safety concerns We feel that large service stations attract criminal activities, such as theft or vandalism, which will impact the safety of motorway users and nearby residents. We do not want to increase our local community’s risk of such activities on our doorstep when we are already struggling.

 *Conclusion 

This application, if granted, would need to have proportionate, realistic, specific and enforceable conditions that would support the Planning Objectives. By permitting such a site, that can hold sufficient car and motorcycle parking spaces to make it commercially viable to outweigh the hugely negative impacts, some of which we have mentioned above, we feel is an unsustainable and shortsighted decision. The sheer scale of parking required for cars, motorcycles, and other vehicles, we feel would only exacerbate the environmental and traffic issues, increasing congestion and emissions. Additionally, we feel that the commercial gains from such a development fail to justify the long-term damage to local ecosystems, noise levels, and visual aesthetics, ultimately undermining the quality of life for nearby communities. We feel that allowing this project to proceed would prioritise short-term profits over the health and well-being of the environment and residents. Given there are service facilities two junctions along at Lakeside, and across the Dartford bridge, at Dartford makes this application even more preposterous. At the very least the locality of this site should be re-considered and positioned on another stretch of the M25 further away from Lakeside and South Mimms. One would question why there is not the decision to have a new service station close to the junction of the M4, where there is far greater footfall to and from Gatwick and Heathrow airports. 

I would like to add that the Brentwood Planning Portal has not been accessible therefore we and many others have not been able to log our objections online.

With this in mind we require an extension to the stated time frame. 

Harold Hill Deer Aid – Jan Sargent – Shantel Cook -Mick Hockley – Laura Hockley 

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