DESTRUCTION OF MAYLANDS FIELD, HAROLD PARK, DEC 2002
Update Feb 7th

After the area 'meeting' of last week, which felt like an old school council shut out, as though they didn't know Maylands was going to be a big issue (!), and as much as Councillor Kelly did talk to the large crowd outside, a few issues that weren't addressed need to be.

Last week, at the Residents Meeting, Councillor Kelly said negotiations were going on with the owner, and for only a few days.

Still the fence has not been moved back, nothing done about the illegal living accommodations at the car wash, none of the rubbish pushed against the fences moved back onto the farmers land, nothing done on the main road to remove the easy access.

At the end of the week one of the residents saw the contractor knocking down a tree planted by Thames Chase, on land not owned by the farmer, and laughed as he did so. They have also taken out shrubs planted by Thames Chase. The environment department showed little interest when told of this occurrence.


Update January 2nd, 2002.

Thanks to everyone who contacted the council and got some action by the council.
After receiving 200 phone calls this week, according to the environmental/planning office, a legal meeting was convened. Signs have now been put up by the council threatening legal action if any more damage is done to shrubbery, trees etc. They are also following up the illegality of the carwash.

The bad news is that there is no public right of access to the field, and as you know the owner has now blocked off Craven Gardens and Mount Avenue. Technically because of long public use there is access but it's difficult at the moment to see who would instigate the legal procedures that would be required.

The slightly more worrying news is that there is a strong suspicion through local contacts that he is the same person who owns the land in Noak Hill where the illegal caravan site has been been built, road tarmaced, etc, which makes the situation rather worrying if he is the owner, especially since it is now very difficult to see what is going on without access to the field. The Noak Hill site is still being pursued through the courts, and has been there for months.
The foreman on the field is very aggressive, and I would certainly not recommend anyone going onto the field at present.
But we do need to find out what is being done with the enormous crane that was sighted over there a couple of days ago.

So far the foreman of the site has said that it will be used for cattle, and that there will be dogs patrolling the site but he has also said it would be for horses, so we will see..

It's good to hear that a residents meeting is being instigated, more information later when the dates are set etc.

If everyone could please inform us of any developments it would be appreciated since we now have regular contact with the planning department and the local press, the Recorder was supposed to be running an article this week and next, and after the initial discouraging contact, have been very helpful, as is also true of the Planning Department, but no article appeared this week, will contact them on Monday.

To be added to the mailing list e-mail us: maylands2003@yahoo.com

Update December the 27th, 2002.

These photos were taken during the week ending December the 27th, 2002.

So far they have bulldozed a road through from the car wash, open for a year, & which according to the council themselves is illegal, right across the field along by the river. This swathe is more than a road's width, and they have also felled all shrubs and trees between the 'road' and the river itself.

The new land owner is not registered with the land registry office, his contacts on site refuse to divulge his name or a contact address. When speaking to the foreman he was very aggressive, and basically saying it's the owners land and he can do with it what he will.

I also spoke with the workers in the car wash who were very frightened, fear like I've never seen here in this country outside of a fight situation. They were obviously immigrants, whether illegal or not I have no idea. There are two caravans already on the car wash, when I said to the foreman that people were just worried that an illegal caravan site was going to be set up, he said the owner was so pissed off with local people for asking questions that he might just start a caravan site to piss off the locals.

They were also threatening to ban anyone using the field.

Have not checked out public right of access yet.

To complain contact the following councillors for this ward or the planning department at:

Steven Kelly
61 Prospect Road
Hornchurch
RM11 3TY
Phone : 01708 340774 (Home)
Fax :
Minicom :
Email : steven.kelly@havering.gov.uk
Natasha Ratty
61 Prospect Road
Hornchurch
RM11 3TY
Phone : 01708 340774 (Home)
Fax :
Minicom :
Email : natasha.ratty@havering.gov.uk
Daryl Williams
25 Jutsums Lane
Romford
RM7 9HH
Phone :
Fax :
Minicom :
Email : daryl.williams@havering.gov.uk
 
 
Environment and Development Services
9th floor
Mercury house
Romford
RM1 3SL
Phone : 01708 434343
Fax :
Minicom :01708 432308
Email : info@havering.gov.uk
Planning Control - Customer Services
7th Floor, Mercury House
Mercury Gardens
Romford
RM1 3SL
Phone : 01708 432726
Fax : 01708 432672
Minicom :01708 432736
Email : planning@havering.gov.uk