Belhus Councillors Clash With Residents

Shame on all the Belhus councillors for not supporting your residence of Belhus.
Come out and explain to your residence the reasons why you opposed their petition at the meeting.
Are we right to believe that the Master plan of Thurrock Thames Gateway 2007 of a housing Estate on Ancient Green belt land is still to go ahead? I do have a copy of their Master plan for Behus showing just this.
How convenient Thames Gateway are merging with Thurrock Council.

This company hacked down an acre of woodland and illegally concreted over the land and filled in a lake to build their illegal lorry park. All this has done is bring hundreds of new lorry movements to this stretch of road and to the area.

Looks like the Marley works are earmarked to be demolished and replaced by 120 houses – but only on the footprint of the legal site – not the acre of hacked down woodland.

Re Thurrock gazette artical “Why was lorry plan refused”? Friday September io” 2010 edition.
I was at the planning Committee meeting on Monday 6th September 2010 in support of the
petition signed by 347 residents whose lives are blighted by the daily traffic of Heavy Goods
Vehicles [HGVs] using Stifford Road and passing through other residential areas.
Despite the benefits to the residents of Stifford Road and adjacent areas as a result of
moving the current entrance to the Howard Tennens site to the proposed entrance nearer
the Aveley roundabout along with a promise to improve the area known as “Hangman’s
Wood” Thurrock Borough Council [TBC} opposed it on the grounds that it was an
encroachment onto “Green Belt” land. Belhus Ward Councillor Charles Curtis read out a
statement on behalf of TBC stating the Council’s case giving no regard to the resident’s
petition and the adverse impact the HGVs were causing to the environment in which they
lived. I went out campaigning with Deidre Lodge along with her husband Simon and in a
relatively short time we obtained 347 signatures from residents giving their unqualified
support to the Howard Tennens proposals regarding the moving of the entrance and the
improvements to “Hangman’s Wood”. At no time did your elected Belhus Ward Councillors
[Sue Gray, Charles Curtis and Wendy Curtis] campaign with us or express any support for the
campaign or sympathy for the residents plight. Whilst I recognise that “Green Belt” land
has to be protected and that if it is encroached upon without proper planning permission
then action has to be taken against the transgressors. However there needs to be some
flexibility and commonsense should prevail when it is clearly demonstrated that planning
requests are fully supported by those affected i.e. residents and benefits far outweigh the
loss of a relatively small area of “Green Belt” land.
The quality of residents lives should not be sacrificed to the cause of a “squabble” between
TBC and Howard Tennens over a piece of land which has been neglected for many, many
years. For the Belhus Ward Councillors I have this warning if you continue to ignore the
voice of the people you may well pay the price for doing so at the ballot-box.
Mr Peter Perrin
Broxburn Drive, South Ockendon

Regarding the comments by Peter Perrin I would like to state that I have nothing but praise for all 3 Belhus Councillors who work tirelessly to help the residents of Belhus Ward. Cllr Charlie Curtis stepped in to help me when my son was having problems with the Ockendon School to help resolve an ongoing situation. Cllr Sue Gray has spent time with me helping with my housing plight when I was being made homeless through no fault of my own. I was penniless and she drove me back and forth to the civic offices numerous times and I know she never claims for any expenses petrol etc. MY aunt was having trouble with the lorries using the road at the side of her house as an exit from a carpark.Cllr.Wendy Curtis bravely stood in the middle of the road and stopped the lorry, refusing to let it pass her until the police arrived and made the lorry reverse back out of the road.
We are very lucky to have 3 very caring councillors.
There is an enforcement notice out on Tenens, that’s why nothing could be done with the entrance yet! Why don’t people actually find out all the facts before slating people, it isn’t hard?
Belhus Councillors are not in the local news every week because they are working on our behalf and too busy helping residents of their ward.

I shall be voting again for my Labour ward councillor next year and I hope you will too.

Councillor Curtis appears to have made the correct decision in accordance with planning regulations. The lorry park is illegal, was built by hacking down woodland and filling in a lake and is next to a site designated for housing in the regeneration plans for Ockendon. If any business ignored planning rules built on green belt and hoped because the development created a few jobs they could get away with destroying the green belt then every business would be ignoring the rules and concreting over vast swathes of the countryside.

The only reason vast numbers of lorries use this bit of road is the building of this illegal lorry park. Interesting Mr Perrin fails to mention the people who objected to this site? With his love of lorry parks is Mr Perrin a Conservative?

If mr Perrin wants to see a planning travesty come and see the massive lorry park and industrail estate being foisted on Tilbury by the development corporation with no opposition from councillors.

I have live in South Ockendon Belhus Ward all my life. I would like to state that the person that is slandering our 3 Belhus Councillors is wrong. We are so lucky to have the most caring councillors in Thurrock. I had some problems in my home recently and Charles Curtis had the repairs done almost immediately and checked that I was satisfied with the job. Wendy Curtis within the week of being elected came to my house and helped to get the dampness cleared. Sue Gray got my son into the school that my daughter was going to instead of me going all around Thurrock taking my children to separate schools. They hold fortnightly surgeries where you can walk into the council office the first Tuesday of the month and see a councillor or if you work, you can visit the Forum on the 3rd Saturday of the month. They work tirelessly supporting our community, they are there 24 hours a day working for us. They do not deserve this negative press that shunavan is giving. I will be voting for Charles if he is standing again next year. I hope all supporters will do the same.

In response to didi96. I am very pleased for you that you found the Belhus Ward Councillors [Charles Curtis, Sue Gray and Wendy Curtis] so helpful in dealing with your problems and your Aunt’s problem and I am sure that the Councillors do many good works. However, important as your problems were personally to you and your Aunt, I am talking about an issue which adversely affects the quality of the lives of hundreds of people who are entitled to expect the same support from the Councillors that you received. The lives of the people who signed the petition are blighted by the sheer volume of Heavy Goods Vehicles [HGVs} using Stifford Road and the surrouning areas all day and all night and the disturbance caused i.e. noise and pollution. It is easy to dismiss the concerns and problems experienced by other people when you do not live in the area and are not affected, I do not know whether that applies to you but it certainly does to the Councillors. I was aware of the enforcement notice and agree that proper procedures have to be followed
but the damage has already been done i.e. tree felling, the partial filling of a lake and the concreting of part of the land. I appreciate that the area is designated “green belt” but for many years the Council has shown little or no interest in the proper care and management of the area and it is only now that the Council is objectiing when it along with another Company {Mardyke Violia Trust] havea vested interest in the furure development of the area. In the meantime, whilst the parties involved “squabble” and protect their own interests, the residents continue to suffer the problems caused by the HGVs

Could I reply to didi96 comments regarding all the Belhus Councillor’s no one has said that they are not caring people and I know Wendy Curtis has worked extremely hard since her election. I for one cherished my friendship with each and every Councillor and supported them all without question,but something went wrong. I am the organizer of the residents petition, One of my reasons for doing the petition is I had, had enough of not being able to breath, and constantly having to rely on a nebulizer at 56 is not much of a life for me. My second reason for organizing the petition is for the residents who have waited patiently for many years for the removal of the HGV Vehicles to be taken off the Stifford Road and surrounding area’s. We all know they are here to stay and 347 residents of Belhus are willing to compromise, yes I know its letting this part of the green belt go but is it not right for fellow residents to understand our desperate plight. Sadly by doing this petition I have lost my cherished friendship with these Councillors. The world is bad enough to live in without residents going against each other, could we not help each other as it should be, and not criticize those who’s lives are being made a misery from these Hgv Vehicles thundering past. As for the chap in Tilbury I welcome your comments, but could you please try not to fuel your vendetta against Peter Perrin on this site for your own use. This is about residents lives, please remember that.
Deirdre Lodge

Just to put the record straight about Peter Perrin! He is Chairperson of the Labour Party, God knows Why!
Peter likes to take onboard the underdogs problems in order to create unrest in most places where he can manipulate and slander people!
The petition raised was in my opinion, mainly to stop the HGV Parking at the Howard Tennans site and times of day being Used. At no time was it mentioned to the South Ockendon Residents Association that a deal had been struck with Howard Tennans to support their application for planning permission! Very sneaky!

The three Councillors had every right to protect our Green Belt on this site, no matter how small!
We have our own investigation via the 7.5 Truck Watch Group and have reported one company for no planning permission to operate on a site in Arisdale Avenue and looks like others are being found out too!
So is Peter Perrin saying that just because a site has been ready’d for use of, then carry on and others can follow suit.
Peter Perrin! If that is the double standards that you work by, then you are a piss poor advert for the Local Labour Party and should resign your position as Chairperson. If you don’t, then Labour will no longer get my vote!

You are a nasty piece of work Peter, you would do well in the BNP or NAZI Party!!!

You are a much ado about nothing!

Chris Savill

To nitewolf [Chris Savill] re your comments dated 28th September 2010 1:36pm.
I was going to ignore your previous comments regarding the Howard Tenens and South Ockendon Residents Association [SORA] issues but as you seem determined to continue with your personal verbal abuse of me I feel obliged to respond. The one issue I entirely agree with you is I am not a “frail” old man and I have never claimed to be so.
You are well known for your foul and abusive language indeed you seem to rejoice in it. You cannot bear to hear or see my name without you bare your claws and spit venom. Your every comment about me is vituperative and expressed by the use of foul and abusive language, it oozes from your mouth like pus from a festering sore. I reccommend an age old cure for cleansing foul mouths i.e. a bar of carbolic soap, in your case a very large one,along with copious amounts of water . I doubt that you will be hurt by my comments as the saying goes “no sense no feelings”.
Are you prepared to make public, as you previously stated you would, the content of the e-mail you sent to Cllr Gray (copied to me) in which you made filthy comments about me and members of the Council?

Obviously the majority of clear thinking, level headed people agree with Nitewolf in his overall assessment of this matter. Cllr. C.Curtis and his colleagues are also ABSOLUTELY right -they are professional in all they do – and a good reference point for Thurrock Council – which makes a change from many years damage caused by certain rampant-ignorant labour councillors of the past – who lost it ALL for true Labour Supporters of this area – lest we forget. I see that Nitewolf is one of the disillusioned in that category. He is not alone. Mr. Perrin obviously wants a ‘personal punch-up’ reality war-of-words – which is another time trodden method of old-labour-BULLYING by proxy – to ENFORCE THE WILL OF POWER-SEEKING-SELF-ASSUMING-moguls of muddled agendas.
Somehow he seeks to bring out the worst in people on typical Alastair Campbell methods – which got the BLARE-buoys : how far in the dying throes???? People are sick and tired of that size labour-mouth-louts.

I would like to ask Chris Saville why he did not attend the Meeting at Thames Gateway, the option was there for him to confront the residents with his opinions, could it be that deep down he knows his opinions are of very little interest to other’s.
My and other residents concerns are FACTS
FACT When the chair of the commitee opened the meeting he asked if anyone in the room had any vested interest in this land, and if so could they please leave the room.
FACT Cllr Charlie Curtis had every opportunity to declare his interest in this land, but due to his lack of integrity he decided to say nothing.
FACT Cllr Charlie Curtis statement reads “AS YOU KNOW CHAIRMAN, YOURSELVES (DC) AND THE VEOLIA MARDYKE TRUST, OF WHICH I AM THE CHAIR, HAVE PLANS FOR THAT AREA”. you and your cronies may want to muddy the waters with subjects unrelated to this issue, but what is at question is Cllr Charlie Curtis MORALS.
I wonder if Mr Saville is aware that Cllr’s Charlie and Wendy Curits had been to the Howard Tenens site requesting work for local residence. I for one am a very confused resident. In one hand they are asking Howard Tenens to help the comunity re local jobs and in the other hand they want to close them down.
No wonder us poor residents have had to endure the HGV Vehicles for so long,
Charlie and Wendy Curtis cannot make their mind up.
So here’s the deal Saville, what you have to say is of very little value, so go away you obnoxious irritating man and let someone else have the floor for a change.
I would like to thank Peter perrin for his HONESTY and unwavering support for the residents of Belhus, without people like Peter questioning your Councillors morals we would be unaware of their deciet.
PS Peter would you like a petition raised in support of your Honesty, i am sure we could get 347 signatures. We as residents are indebted to you for your tireless fight to make things better for all those in South Ockendon. we are proud that you stood up to the onslaught you have had to endure from both Councillors and the SORA Commitee with so much grace. You are a good and Honest man and those that beg to differ hang your heads in shame.
Deirdre Lodge

I will write some words, as i have been asked to do, as a resident who has to deal with the trucks on a daily basis. Directly outside my house. I am not going to slate off this person and that person they have their own agendas and their own opinions on the matter. Here is what I know.
Yes Tenens have done some damage to Green Belt, to assist in one of the companies on their site “CHEP”. This company does not allow the trucks to park on their site, and neither do Tenens. Only Agreed Trucks stay there. (Stobart, Tenens, Etc). If they were allowed to illegally park on the site, I would not have as many problems as I do now. CHEP has many European drivers coming into the site to collect pallets and distribute them across Europe. These drivers come through the village, park in the lay-by, Park on Pavement, when there is nowhere else to walk.
Many times my wife has walked past the Lay-by in Stifford Road, to see European drivers leering at women, and to see them defecating in the woods. They cook, go toilet, leave their rubbish and basically leave the so called Green Belt in a state. I have to go to trucks that park outside my house in the bus lane and move them on sometimes 5-7 times a day. My children go to Aveley Primary School, and I have lost count of the amount of European drivers coming through the village. I will not say that Stobart Lorries do not come through the village because they do. (Sat-Navs have a lot to answer for.) And the police do nothing, even though they are breaking the law. I am waiting for the day when a child gets run over by a HGV. Then we might see some action.
Also I hear no talk of the 300+ Houses on green belt on the by-pass. The new TTGDC agreement on Ponds Farm Purfleet road. Phases 1 and 2 which I also believe are on Green belt. It seems that TTGDC only have their own agenda.
I am not condoning what Tenens did and have not rectified. But to dismiss the planning agreement when so many good things were to come from it including.
1. Width restrictions in Aveley, to make Aveley a safer place
2. Money towards S.Ock and Aveley for safety
3. Forest area re-worked to stop current situation of it killing itself
4. New Areas for walkers and trekkers alike
5. New entrance, getting rid of current lay-by and saving upto 600 HGV’s going past the houses along Stifford Road. If the entrance is moved there is no need for them to come this way.
6. The possibility of more Jobs. (Not many I grant) but a job is a job nowadays
7. Local Wildlife prioritised and ensured kept safe.
8. New fencing along the complete surrounding area of Hangmans Woods.

The bad bit would be that Tenens have not had to undo some of the damage they caused and which is now coming back to haunt them.
As we all know, TTGDC and the local council want houses on that land and have wanted so for quite a while. Does anyone think that if they managed to get the land that they would restore all the green belt and only plot houses onto the brown land. No they wouldn’t. The more area the better. More money, tax and building jobs.
I have said my piece and I am sure some people won’t like it. But hey we have to live with this day in day out. When you see drivers having a good poo in the woods. Leering at women. See Truck after truck pass a school in a restricted area. Or just get fed up with HGV’s parking directly outside your house. It would have made our lives just that little bit easier.

Lee

I agree with Shaunavan, the Belhus councillors are waiting in line to inflict a Housing estate on ancient woodlands ie,Hangmans Woods, I also a have a copy of the plans, Thurrock Thames Gateway 2007,How can the TBC restore the already ruined Hangmans Woods,the damage was caused over the all the neglected years,half the woodlands has been buried under tons of concrete,so that Eddie Stobart lorries can be stored there,Didi96 I am sorry for your plight but it,as nothing to do with the daily misery,that Howard Tenens and the TBC and the Belhus councillors are inflicting on the residents who endure the misery of lorries on a 24/7,Mr Dave Patterson of Tilbury comments are abit suspect I dont see how slating Mr.P.Perrin over a issue in South Ockendon as anything to do with him,is he feels the need to slag somebody off try his own councillors who must have approved the venture in the first place,he seems to be talking with a forked tongue,as for the poor women who as damp problems,and education issues,I am sorry for you,but it hasnt anything to do with what everybody else is discussing.Please let everybody get together and SING FROM THE SAME HYMN SHEET,and then perhaps we can all get some pest and quiet again,we all deserve a end to this matter,so that we can live our lives again without lorries rattling our window panes 24/7.

As the organiser of the petition supporting Howard Tenens application to move the entrance to their site away from residential areas I make the following statement:-

How refreshing it is to know, at long last, that the problem of ever increasing heavy goods vehicles [HGVs] using Stifford Road is a “major concern” for the Belhus Ward Councillors [Sue Gray, Wendy Curtis and Charles Curtis]. Is it just a coincidence that Charles Curtis is standing for re-election next May? The Belhus Councillors say they have been “fighting for FIVE years to stop this Company [Howard Tenens] from operating this way” and that “a petition was lodged with Thurrock Council THREE years ago and the Council has taken action” i.e.” two enforcement notices have been issued by the Council after it was found the green belt had been damaged, these notices are still in place”.

FIVE long years and the Councillors have achieved nothing. Is it any wonder that the residents of Stifford Road, whose lives have been blighted during those years, are angry and frustrated and were driven to take action of their own and signed a petition supporting a plan by Howard Tenens to move the entrance to their site a few hundred yards further down Stifford Road thereby avoiding HGVs passing residents homes and were prepared to spend a large sum of money on improving the “green belt” area known as “Hangman’s Wood”. The Howard Tenens application, had it received planning approval, would have resulted in an almost immediate solution to the residents problems and would have considerably improved the quality of their lives. This appears to have been of little concern to the Belhus Councillors who declined to support my petition, unless I was prepared to change the wording to suit their purpose, and showed little or no sympathy for the residents who now have to continue to endure the problems caused by the HGVs with no prospect of a satisfactory solution in the foreseeable future.

Instead what happened was the “CONCERNED” Belhus Councillors opposed the Howard Tenens application on the grounds that Howard Tenens had encroached upon and damaged “green belt” land and that by opposing the application they were the “guardians” fighting to protect it. If truth be told their motivation is somewhat less “honourable”. The sole aim of the Belhus Councillors is to close down the Howard Tenens site completely, giving no regard to the loss of jobs of those local people currently employed there and the possibility of more jobs in the future. One of the Belhus Councillors is Chairman of the Mardyke Veolia Trust which has plans for the development of the site and whose path would be made that much “smoother” were the Councillors to be successful in getting rid of Howard Tenens. They want to be taken seriously regarding their concern for “green belt” land, I do not believe them, I think there are “hidden agendas” personally benefitting at least one of the Councillors. The current condition of the “green belt” land the Councillors are so eager to protect and they say has been damaged by Howard Tenens is, due to lack of proper management, decaying with trees so tightly packed that no sunlight penetrates the undergrowth and the trees are so choked by ivy that they are dying. Perhaps the Councillors would like to tell us what plans they and the Development Corporation [TTGDC] have for managing and improving the condition of “Hangman’s Wood”. If the answer is, as I suspect, that the Council cannot afford to properly manage and improve the area then allow Howard Tenens, who can afford it and are committed to improving the land, do so by approving their planning application which has the support of a large number of residents who, unlike you Councillors who live elsewhere and are not affected, will continue to suffer the problems of HGVs “thundering” past their homes 24/7 every day of the year.

Finally in response to “Signing is surprising”. 347 residents were not so stupid, as you seem to imply, that they would sign a petition, which you probably have not seen, supporting a plan that would make their lives even more unbearable. Residents were not TOLD to sign anything they were politely asked if they would sign a petition and they willingly did so. Unlike some Councillors I am not in the habit of dictating to people or imposing my will upon them.

As you identify yourself only as “Name and address supplied” I can only guess your true identity and what springs to mind is an ex Belhus Ward Councillor recently retired who telephoned my husband at our home to rebuke me for “upsetting” the Ward Councillors so I am not “surprised” by your remarks especially as, if you are who I think you are, you along with your fellow Councillors are of the opinion that the public should in your words “keep their noses out of issues they know little about” pay their taxes and their rents and keep their mouths shut.

Mrs Deirdre Lodge,

Stifford Road