LETTER TO EDITOR – SAND PITS CAR PARK
Dear Editor
Readers of your publication will be only too aware of my objections to Thurrock Council’s sale of the Sandpits Car Park in Stanford-le-Hope. This sale of this land, which was completely and utterly endorsed by Thurrock Labour, was financially devoid then, and the point remains raw today.
Last month, a few residents of Stanford-le-Hope organised a public tidy-up of up the car park. The Sand Pits car park was in a dreadful state – and needed some care. If the new owner wasn’t going to, someone (or some local people) had to. Furthermore, when Mrs Hebb and I were walking through the town this Tuesday evening, the now-usual scene with younger persons revving engines and wheel spins continue to disturb work-weary families trying to get their little ones off to sleep.
Here lies a point – this is not quite “what everyone [in Stanford] wants” now, is it?
As a resident of SLH, the cleanliness and hygiene of this car park has only got worse, not helped by the fact that Thurrock Council cannot do anything to clean it now it has been sold; if only the developer contracted the service from the council! Furthermore the noisy cars disturbing the local scene have only gotten more in number and more selfish in activity.
There remain many issues which I have struggled to discuss with the developer, owing to the fact that it seems near impossible to get them round a table to discuss – payment for parking is still “card-only” being one of the main issues.
We now need the developer to begin to engage with local people now that the community are doing the developer’s job of keeping his car park tidy. Some have done the maths for the man-hours that went into that wet and cold Sunday– not to mention the family time we all lost (happy for the owner to make a donation to the town’s Christmas Lights collection in lieu!)
However, the outrageous parking notice slammed on the clean-up volunteers, which came to light this week is the final straw:
Please Mr / Mrs Developer, do something to show us residents that you go give a thought to the community we live in. The history of Stanford-le-Hope goes back to the Domesday Book where it was referenced as “Hassenbrooke”. At times, your site looks like something from the Black Plague. And frankly, I and all my neighbours are sick to the back-teeth of it.
Please – get the thing tidy, make it easy to use (coin operated), and start getting on top of the other problems which are now on YOUR watch.
I, and colleagues and friends from around town are happy to meet you to work together to resolve some of these matters – we await your invite…
Yours, Cllr Shane Hebb (Resident of Stanford-le-Hope, and local ward councillor).
