Residents say no to stadium

3:10pm Friday 15th February 2008

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RESIDENTS have expressed concerns over a proposed 500-home development in neighbouring fields to fund a Braintree Town Football Club stadium.

Braintree Town's plans for their "dream home" includes a 6,000-capacity stadium in Pod's Brook Road, Braintree, three football pitches, a new tennis club and a housing development in countryside off Rayne Road.

Residents living next to this open space, including in Gilda Terrace, have spoken out over the prospect of losing their beautiful views and walks around the Flitch Way, increased traffic from extra cars, noise from the stadium and living on a building site.

Fears were also voiced that the development of the land between Braintree and the village of Rayne could lead to the two joining, flooding in Sun Lido Square Gardens and the devaluation of existing properties.

A businessman, of Gilda Terrace, who asked not to be named, said: "People don't want it. Most of the residents have lived here for a long time.

"Gilda Terrace is unique. You have fields at the front and back, a nature reserve at the railway line and it's a walk to town, but the houses are not too expensive."

Jayn Lone, a mother-of-one, of Guernsey Way, said most residents objected to the plan and she described the potential situation as "just awful", with worries over whether amenities, like schools and roads, could cope with an increase in housing.

Home owners in Gilda Terrace have been offered 120 per cent of the market value of their properties by the stadium complex developer, WG Developments, but some felt this was not enough considering the cost of moving.

Wayne Gold, WG Developments managing director, said the offer was to give people the chance to possibly not endure the aggravation and disruption of the development, and was not to demolish the homes to create access to the site.

Graham Butland, leader of Braintree Council, said: "Yes, we want to support the football club and it will certainly bring additional facilities to the town, but there are also planning issues that need to be overcome."

Mr Butland said he was "not surprised" residents currently looking out on to green fields would not be "quite so keen" as others on the development.

Mike Banthorpe, district councillor for Rayne, said as a village Rayne would "protect" the green space between it and Braintree, which was essential to preserve the village's identity.

Paul Munson, head of sustainable development at Braintree Council, said the land off Rayne Road was countryside outside the town development boundary under the current local plan, which ends in 2011.

As part of the local development framework, which sets out development of the district until 2025, more residential sites needed to be identified as the district was exceeding the minimum of 290 homes a year it needed to provide which uses up land designated for residential use.