The North Uttlesford Garden Community [NUGC] is a proposal for a new town/village in North West Essex, near Saffron Walden. The proposal is to develop 5,000 homes adjacent to the village of Great Chesterford which will be accompanied by new infrastructure and services, although the quantity of this is currently unclear and unconfirmed. The developer Grosvenor, currently in collaboration with Bidwells and JTP architects, to undertake the project, unlike the three larger North Essex Garden Communities [NEGCs] which will be developed by the public sector.
I attended a meeting with a community activist group in order to understand why we should ‘Stop the NU Town’. It was organisational meeting, which delegated particular impacts of the new settlement (i.e. roads, water, views, finance etc.) as roles to individuals in the group, with the intention to maximise local academic and professional expertise.The group as a collective is concerned with the cultural and environmental impact of the new settlement as a whole, yet individuals within the group have varying levels of concern about built heritage, infrastructure, agriculture, nature, and political landscape. An interesting question was raised: If the settlement should not be built here, there where? – To which the response ‘that’s not our place to say’ was given, perhaps rightly so but I’m sure most village communities will feel the same way.
To what extent is this protest a genuine concern about the environment and impact of the settlement on future generations or is it merely nimbyism? As a non-local to the district it is easier to ask this question as the answer lies in the act of putting oneself into the issue i.e. How will this town affect me? Versus. How will this town affect the environment and other people?
Key links:
https://northuttlesfordgc.commonplace.is/
http://www.stopnutown.org.uk/
https://greatchesterford-pc.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/North-Uttlesford-Garden-Village-Response-to-Councillors.pdf
http://www.grosvenor.com/news-views-research/news/2017/grosvenor-announced-as-development-partner-for-nor/
