PROTECTING GREENFIELD SITES FROM PROPERTY DEVELOPERS

Councils are of course always looking to raise cash to fund projects and one way of doing that is to sell some of its assets. The Harlow Alliance Party has helped residents living in many areas across the town to take action to ensure that green spaces near their homes are protected from being sold by the Council to property developers.

Such action involves at least twenty residents coming together and making an application to the Council for what is known as a Community Right to Bid (CRB), which makes the case that if the Council seek to sell land to a property developer, it has to offer the land (valued in its existing state) to residents in the community. Successful applications are then registered by the Council (a list can be found on the Councils website) for future reference.

The sites where the Harlow Alliance Party helped residents to successfully seek a CRB are at Wellesley, Fennells, Deer Park, Pollard Hatch, Church Leys, Hawthorns, St Andrews Meadow, Jocelyns, Radburn Close and Greygoose Park (pictured).