NORTH WEALD: Residents victorious in battle against waste dump (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

NORTH WEALD: Residents victorious in battle against waste dump

2:02pm Friday 1st July 2011 in Your Local Areas By Tom Porter

FOLLOWING a two year long battle, North Weald residents have been victorious in preventing over 65,000 cubic metres of waste being dumped on England’s oldest deer park.

In 2009 Blakes Golf Club in North Weald applied to extend their course to land opposite their main site in Epping Road, North Weald.

A year previously thousands of tons of waste had been dumped in Blunts Farm, Theydon Bois to create a golf course and North Weald.

North Weald residents joined forces with the Parish Council and campaigners from Theydon Bois to fight the mass waste dump which culminated and Essex County Council blocking the application in June 2010.

Despite this this the developer fought on, appealing to the Secretary of State to overturn the decision but on June 21 the appeal was rejected and residents celebrated victory.

North Weald Parish Council Chairman Cyril Hawkins said: “We already have two golf courses here and enough is enough. The people of North Weald have shown their determination not to allow this land to be used as a waste dumping ground.

“If they come forward with any further plans of this kind they will find will will be as strong next time as we have been this time.”

Peter Wilkinson, of North Weald Action Group, lives in Basset Gardens, next to the site of the proposed golf course extension..

He said: “This is ancient countryside, and they want to cover it in ten foot of waste.

He said that there was evidence that the land had been used to create England's first royal deer park in Norman times and had also been the site of a 'redoubt' fortress build to protect London when it was feared that Napoleaon was poised to invade England in the early 19th century.

“We have been fighting for 20 years to protect this land, and am I am glad that the right decision has finally been reached here”, added Mr Wilkinson. Click here to follow the Epping Forest Guardian on Twitter