Woodcroft Nursery School for Expansion, We Decided to Ap- Sites Available Within the Locality.” Start to Build
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www.hetramedia.co.uk The Aerial & Satellite People Tel. 01245 473739; Mobile 07939 255786 The Life of Great Baddow www.baddowlife.org.uk Spring 2005 Issue 7 New Beginnings by Irene Duke Spring!!! Doesn’t the word alone make you feel better? After all the gloom of dark winter days, we can look forward to brighter, sunnier times – hopefully! Lambs will soon be gam- bolling in the fields; bulbs pushing upwards in our gar- After several years of dens; trees bursting into leaf planning, “The Surgery” – who wouldn’t feel uplifted? Of course, there’s always a downside: paint- in Great Baddow High work begins to look a bit dowdy; curtains will Street is to move. need to be washed; lawns to be mowed, but Dr Russell & Partners have who cares – the sun will soon be shining and been at their present location the days grow longer – winter will soon be but for many years, but as far a memory. back as the year 2000, there New clothes will be tempting us in the shops; has been a desperate need for new places beckon us on holiday. That’s what expansion. With the realisa- it’s all about, isn’t it – renewal? Oh yes, let’s th tion of the need for bigger not forget Easter – it falls on 27 March this premises, work started early year. Now that’s a real time of uplift for you. this year for relocation to Three days of utter darkness when the Saviour Longmead Avenue; cranes of our world lay in his tomb, then – bingo! and pile drivers have been a Light, hope, a sudden surge of joy in the hearts of his followers. After the darkness comes common sight from the main light, after despair, hope. What a promise! roads. Enjoy your Easter break. “This is the culmination of many years work and frustra- tion as we identified that we needed extra space and facili- Looking for a ties to offer extended and ex- Nursery School? panded services to our 10,000 The “Surgery” in Great Baddow—photo by James Millham plus patients,” states Sue Finch the Practice Manager. “As the ex- ence in building new surgery fa- and it has taken four years to ar- isting site had very limited room cilities, to identify and pursue any rive at the point when they could Woodcroft Nursery School for expansion, we decided to ap- sites available within the locality.” start to build. proach a development company, Longmead Avenue was recognised Ashley House, who have experi- as the most appropriate location, (Continued on page 8) Invite you to an Open Evening on New Youth Minister for Meadgate by Peter Kirk Wednesday 23rd March Meadgate Church appointed Mark He spent two years in South Africa ily fled the chaos in Zimbabwe and Petitt as Youth Minister, starting in in practical training for Christian came to Essex. Mark followed September 2004. Mark, 23, was youth work with Baptist Youth of them in 2002 and settled at first in • Call in any time between 7:00 and 9:00 PM born and brought up in Zimbabwe. South Africa. Meanwhile his fam- Witham and now in Great Baddow. Mark is in charge of Meadgate • An opportunity to have fun as you experience Church's work with young people aged 6 to 18. He leads the Junior and talk about some of the activities the Church on Sunday mornings and is children take part in at nursery one of the leaders of the church youth group FUSE. But his main • Enjoy an informal talk about the learning focus is on the children and youth behind play of the Meadgate area. He is joint leader of the "Six Pack" and "Victory Warriors" clubs, and is Dorset Avenue, Great Baddow, starting to take school assemblies. Chelmsford, One of his main aims is to build Essex. CM2 9UB bridges with the young people who hang around the Meadgate shops Headteacher: Mrs J. Sullivan and other such areas and to help Tel: Chelmsford (01245) 473222 them to be not a problem but use- ful members of the community. Read about Mark’s adventure to South America with sixty young Essex County Council Mark Petitt, Meadgate Church’s new Youth Minister—photo by Mike Fisher people on page 4 by Baddow Road, now But 10% of all homes will be but a necessity for a Peter Kirk Goodwin Close and "intermediate" housing for sustainable community. If What is Affordable Housing? Bawden Way. key workers such as teachers we want adequate schools, Affordable housing is parts of these estates were were transferred to the This affordable housing is and nurses. For example, police, health services, defined as "housing within sold to tenants in the 1980's. Chelmer Housing in no way inferior in quality government money has council services, we need the financial reach of The task of providing Partnership. or size to regular housing of helped six key public sector homes for workers in these people unable to enter the affordable social housing In recent years planners the same type – indeed this workers to obtain homes in sectors. We already have a private housing market". was then gradually taken have moved away from has been true ever since the the new development in hospital ward closed because There is a serious problem over by housing associations. building separate estates of 1960's council estates. The West Hanningfield Road, staff cannot be found. If shop in the Chelmsford area, as For example, in the early social housing, which tend to difference is only in where Great Baddow through workers cannot afford to live elsewhere in the South 1990's the Guinness Trust concentrate and aggravate the funding comes from and shared ownership schemes. in the area, our shops will be East, that property prices built about 80 houses and social problems. Instead they who is allowed to live there. The government has forced to close, or charge and rents are so high that flats off Park View Crescent prefer to integrate Chelmsford Borough recently announced a major exorbitant prices. We need to many ordinary people in Great Baddow. These communities by scattering Council, in its 2004-2007 initiative "Sustainable make sure that these homes simply cannot afford to housing associations are affordable housing within Housing Strategy report, Communities: Homes for are provided in suitable buy a home or even to rent funded each year in England private sector developments. acknowledges a need for All". This includes extending places, and that there is one on the open market. In with about £1 billion of The planning system can be over 1000 new affordable shared ownership and right adequate infrastructure to recent years the problem government money and £2 used to oblige private sector homes per year, but to buy schemes. But such support them. It would be has become serious enough billion of private sector developers to partner with recognises that it cannot schemes cannot solve the sad to see development of that key professionals such loans. This money enables housing associations so that meet this need. Its strategy is problem unless sufficient areas like Manor Farm, off as teachers and nurses them to build new homes to a certain proportion of a to provide only 150 of those new homes are built. Yet our Maldon Road, but what is have moved away from the let at affordable rents. development is affordable homes. This will be done by council's strategy is to build the alternative – apart from region, leaving significant Housing associations have housing. For example, requiring 35% of all new only a small proportion of shifting this into someone shortages. also taken over remaining Barratt Homes partnered developments of 15 what is needed, and even else's back yard? Failing to The basic problem is not a council housing: in 2002 the with the Shaftesbury dwellings or more to be these developments lead to meet these housing needs is new one. In the 1950's and remaining 7000 council Housing Association to affordable housing. Most of public outcries. something none of us can 1960's it was solved by homes in the Chelmsford provide 22 affordable homes these homes will be for rent Provision of affordable afford. building large council estates Borough, including four for rent on the former to those in need from the housing is not and subsidising rents. Large estates in Great Baddow, Isolation Hospital site in Council's Housing Register. just charity, Open Spaces by June Davidson In the 50’s, following the Second World War, accommodation for the many who had lost their The Rise of Great Baddow Today homes had to be built both quickly and with as From the mid-1970's until the late 1990's there 16. Cundell's Field, off Maldon Rd: 86 houses on Chelmsford Borough Council depot many homes as possible, and so the high-rise was rather little new housing development in and flats on former playing field and and former Meadgate Avenue garage flats were built in London. These certainly Great Baddow. There were some small waste tip. site. housed people, but the toll on family life was developments off Vicarage Lane and Craiston ¨ Approved developments 24. Longmead Avenue: 9 houses on former great. Families on the upper floors were tied to Way, and the old prefabs in Maltings Road 17. Harberd Tye, off Beehive Lane: 24 flats on Roman Catholic church site, and a their flats, lifts were often out of order, children were replaced by flats. There were also some Essex County Council Highways Depot medical centre already under had nowhere to play and mothers were totally welcome old people's properties.