Inspired Village for over 65 on Barnet Lane
Responses required by 13th June 2024!
Have your say today by providing feedback on the consultation by Inspired Villages for a large Integrated Retirement Community on Green Belt land on Barnet Lane, Elstree.
They say they have Very Special Circumstances to build on Green Belt Land but they don't - we must respond.
For details click here
They had an exhibition that we were not aware of until after the event on 16th May 2024.
You can see all the details of the proposed development by clicking on their link for the boards presented at the exhibition.
Follow the page down to Have Your Say.
It is important to respond to this as they will use responses to indicate the local feedback.
Deadline for responses is midnight on 13th June 2024.
Details of the feedback provided by one EBGBS member is as follows. Please read through Q11 and include anything you feel is relevant to yourself.
1. I do not support
2. I do not support
3. Strongly disagree
4. Strongly disagree
5. Strongly disagree
6. I do not support
7. I do not support
8. You have to choose one option
9. None - do not build on Green Belt. I would have chosed no option for Q* but was forced to choose one option to submit my feedback..
10. No
11. In response to your own points:
“The proposed Integrated Retirement Community is situated within the Green Belt. We believe that our proposals meet the criteria for “Very Special Circumstances” for development in this area.
Housing does not qualify as “Very Special Circumstances”. The use of the Green Belt to build a swimming pool, hydrotherapy pool, fitness studio, treatment rooms, bar, shops and a restaurant is completely unacceptable. “
“These include the economic benefits, the NHS and social care savings, the positive impact on the housing ladder and the pressing need for this type of accommodation in the local area. “
There is no pressing need for over 65 accommodation in Elstree. There are two large elderly residences in Elstree already and two more proposed. The site would be for people out of the Elstree and Borehamwood area and beyond the budget of most local residents.
It is unlikely that anyone moving to such a community would be freeing up properties that are needed and can be afforded by local people to meet local needs.
“We want to ensure our scheme has limited impact on the Green Belt. Therefore, we have included measures such as sympathetic landscaping, low-impact construction techniques, and architectural designs that maintain and enhance the character of the site. We will maintain the existing greenery, ensuring a natural boundary to neighbouring properties.”
If Green Belt land is built on, as you are proposing, it is gone forever. The only way to limit the impact is not to build on it. One purpose of Green is to prevent urban sprawl and your development is causing urban sprawl. The Green Belt must be protected for all the reasons it was first introduced. This is not the right location for your development.
“Elstree’s local amenities, such as shops, cafes, and parks, contribute to a comfortable environment, enhancing the quality of life for seniors.
Moreover, Elstree has a healthy community spirit, fostering connections among residents through local events and gatherings. This unique combination of features makes Elstree an ideal choice for an Integrated Retirement Community.”
There is a convenience store, an estate agents, a dentist, a doctors surgery and a pharmacy (that will follow the surgery), one Indian restaurant and a tyre centre in the village plus a school, two nurseries and two places of worship. There is no café, no community centre or hub, no longer any pubs, so the community spirit among residents through local events and gatherings must be amongst certain specific groups only and not open to the general public, so is very limited.
Have your say today by providing feedback on the consultation by Inspired Villages for a large Integrated Retirement Community on Green Belt land on Barnet Lane, Elstree.
They say they have Very Special Circumstances to build on Green Belt Land but they don't - we must respond.
For details click here
They had an exhibition that we were not aware of until after the event on 16th May 2024.
You can see all the details of the proposed development by clicking on their link for the boards presented at the exhibition.
Follow the page down to Have Your Say.
It is important to respond to this as they will use responses to indicate the local feedback.
Deadline for responses is midnight on 13th June 2024.
Details of the feedback provided by one EBGBS member is as follows. Please read through Q11 and include anything you feel is relevant to yourself.
1. I do not support
2. I do not support
3. Strongly disagree
4. Strongly disagree
5. Strongly disagree
6. I do not support
7. I do not support
8. You have to choose one option
9. None - do not build on Green Belt. I would have chosed no option for Q* but was forced to choose one option to submit my feedback..
10. No
11. In response to your own points:
“The proposed Integrated Retirement Community is situated within the Green Belt. We believe that our proposals meet the criteria for “Very Special Circumstances” for development in this area.
Housing does not qualify as “Very Special Circumstances”. The use of the Green Belt to build a swimming pool, hydrotherapy pool, fitness studio, treatment rooms, bar, shops and a restaurant is completely unacceptable. “
“These include the economic benefits, the NHS and social care savings, the positive impact on the housing ladder and the pressing need for this type of accommodation in the local area. “
There is no pressing need for over 65 accommodation in Elstree. There are two large elderly residences in Elstree already and two more proposed. The site would be for people out of the Elstree and Borehamwood area and beyond the budget of most local residents.
It is unlikely that anyone moving to such a community would be freeing up properties that are needed and can be afforded by local people to meet local needs.
“We want to ensure our scheme has limited impact on the Green Belt. Therefore, we have included measures such as sympathetic landscaping, low-impact construction techniques, and architectural designs that maintain and enhance the character of the site. We will maintain the existing greenery, ensuring a natural boundary to neighbouring properties.”
If Green Belt land is built on, as you are proposing, it is gone forever. The only way to limit the impact is not to build on it. One purpose of Green is to prevent urban sprawl and your development is causing urban sprawl. The Green Belt must be protected for all the reasons it was first introduced. This is not the right location for your development.
“Elstree’s local amenities, such as shops, cafes, and parks, contribute to a comfortable environment, enhancing the quality of life for seniors.
Moreover, Elstree has a healthy community spirit, fostering connections among residents through local events and gatherings. This unique combination of features makes Elstree an ideal choice for an Integrated Retirement Community.”
There is a convenience store, an estate agents, a dentist, a doctors surgery and a pharmacy (that will follow the surgery), one Indian restaurant and a tyre centre in the village plus a school, two nurseries and two places of worship. There is no café, no community centre or hub, no longer any pubs, so the community spirit among residents through local events and gatherings must be amongst certain specific groups only and not open to the general public, so is very limited.