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The former Ilford Police Station could become a 10-storey aparthotel if devel-opers are given the green light.

Chand Developments Ltd has applied to Redbridge Council for outline plan-ning permission to build the new 70-unit accommodation on the empty Ilford Hill site.

The developers plan to retain the cur-rent building as part of the new hotel.

The application said the development would “meet the well-established and increasing demand for both commercial and tourist accommodation” and create new jobs.

Hotel plan for police station

Page 27

Brother’s inquest victory

Page 8

Happy birthday hospice

Page 13

Jailed for a ‘despicable’crime

Acclaimed war drama My Boy Jack at KMT

RECORDERLIFE

End-of-term picture special

PAGES 30&31

THE PITS!Neighbours are drawing up battle lines over plans by a gravel extraction firm which they say will endanger a church and close a bridleway.

Brett Lefarge plans to extract 900,000

tonnes of gravel and sand at Aldbor-ough Hatch Farm, Newbury Park, within 100 metres of St Peter’s Church.

The Rev Kate Lovesey says she has “real concerns” for the church and re-vealed grave stones had already sunk due to previous gravel extraction.

Aldborough Hatch Defence Associa-

tion chairman Ron Jeffries told the Re-corder residents had suffered dust and noise from the workings for 50 years and had endured enough.

“This is unacceptable,” he said this week. “We don’t want any more.”

� News special pages 6&7

� Neighbours prepare for battle over gravel extraction plan� Vicar fears for church as quarry firm expands operationby Beth Wyattbethany.wyatt@archant.co.uk

� Aldborough Hatch residents show their opposition to the gravel firm’s plans which would see a popular bridleway closed Picture: Nicholas Smith

6 Recorder, Thursday July 24, 2014

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NEWS SPECIAL

� Aldborough Hatch residents with the Rev Kate Lovesey (middle) and Cllr John Howard. They fear moving the gravel extraction site nearer the 151-year-old St Peter’s Church will put it in jeopardy Picture: Nicholas Smith

Enough is enough, say resi-dents after learning plans are afoot for yet more gravel quarrying at Aldborough Hatch.

Ron Jef of the Aldborough Hatch Defence Association, said: “For over 50 years they have had to suffer dust and noise from gravel extraction.

“This is unacceptable. We don’t want any more.”

Brett Lafarge will be seeking permission in the autumn to extract 900,000 tonnes of gravel and sand at Aldborough Hatch Farm.

The work would be oppo-site the Miller and Carter

Restaurant, known locally as the Dick Turpin, and close to St Peter’s Church and homes in St Peter’s Close and Oaks Lane.

CampaignThe company, which car-ried out an exhibition and consultation in Aldborough Hatch in 2011, is propos-ing to work 100m from the church and will allegedly close Bridleway 93 for a minimum of two years, di-verting part of it, and build-ing a roadway from it.

Mr Jeffries, 81, of Spear-point Gardens, which is opposite the proposed site,

said his group would fight for the wor 150m from the church was also concerned about the bridleway plans, which would affect pedestrians, horse riders and schoolchil-dren, among others.

Jenny Chalmers, also of Spearpoint Gardens, said

she was “totally opposed” to further wor the area has been destroyed for long enough.

One of the biggest wor-ries is the effect work could have on 151-year-old St Pe-ter’s Church.

The Rev Kate Lovesey said: “We do have very real

concerns for the building and for the churchyar which has real problems with the sinking of grave stones due to the change in the water table been attributed to the works of the gravel extraction in other parts of Aldborough Hatch.”

Upon a planning permis-sion application being sub-mitted to Redbridge Coun-cil, the association, which wants to hear residents’ views, will “campaign vig-orously”. Mr Jeffries said: “We would really like to see them go for good and never come back.”

Neighbours dig in heels over more quarryingExtending gravel extraction by six years ‘unacceptable’

For over 50 years they have had to suffer dust and noise

Thursday July 24, 2014, Recorder 7

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Follow us on Twitter@ilfordrecorder Reports by Beth Wyatt

1851 onwardsFairlop Plain was born when 100,000 trees were cut down by the Crown in Hainault Forest. For about 10 years, roads were laid out, such as Forest Road and Hainault Road, and farms and farmhouses were built, as was St Peter’s Church. The Crown land was sold to the London County Council and later to Ilford and then Redbridge Council

1914 onwardsFairlop Plain became an airfield during the First World War and the Second World War

1930s & 1940s The site was set to become the new London airport, but it was eventually deemed unsuitable and Heathrow became a reality

1950s Major gravel extraction began. The first area of extraction was to the north of what is now the Fairlop Waters Golf Course. Household refuse was used as infill until the contractors listened to residents’ complaints and used soil

Early 1960s A planning application was made to begin extraction on Aldborough Hatch Farm, over the area stretching north from the church up to what is now the southern boundary of Fairlop Waters

1966 onwards Shortly after becoming the vicar of the church, the Rev Bill Barnes formed the Aldborough Hatch Defence Association to protect the

area’s environment and to make sure the proposed sand and gravel extractions did not affect the church and the church halls. Rev Barnes led the campaign to fight for a buffer zone of 300 yards from the church, which was successful. In the end, the area excavated began opposite the Dick Turpin and Aldborough Hall Farm

1999 £40m plans for a racecourse in Fairlop waters were revealed. It was submitted to the council in August by the Wiggins Group, with a 10,000-seat grandstand, an all-weather oval dirt track, 150-room hotel and corporate hospitality. In October, 500 residents attended a meeting organised by the Aldborough Hatch Defence Association, also attended by MPs, councillors and representatives from the Wiggins Group

2000 A public exhibition was held at the church halls about the proposed gravel extraction at the farm. A planning application was submitted to Redbridge Council in September. The proposals

included a stand-off buffer zone of 75m from the rear of homes in Applegarth Drive and Bawdsey Avenue. The Aldborough Hatch Defence Association held an open meeting in October in the church halls, which was attended by

about 180 residents.

2001 After months of negotiations, the council’s regulatory committee agreed in July that the stand-off would be increased to 150m.

The excavation went ahead. The sand and gravel excavated to the rear of the Dick Turpin was found to be polluted and was returned

2004A second planning application for the racecourse was refused by Redbridge Council

2006 The Aldborough Hatch Defence Association was told that Brett Lafarge would be putting in a planning application to excavate on Aldborough Hatch Farm over the area bordering Aldborough Road North, St Peter’s Church, St Peter’s Close and Oaks Lane. Nothing happened

Racecourse developers Planestation Group PLC decided to take up a public inquiry appeal, but the council agreed to buy back the lease from administrators Grant Thornton – ending the battle

2009 The defence association was told an exhibition Brett Lafarge planned to hold for residents had to be delayed until 2010 because of technical issues

2011 An exhibition and consultation by Lafarge took place in July, attended by about 150 residents

History of the quarry

Brett Lafarge has completed the extraction work it was already undertaking in Aldborough Hatch, but it is now finalising its planning application for the possible extraction area at Aldborough Hatch Farm, which would extend the operational life of the quarry by about six years.

Simon Treacy, the company’s estates manager, said: “We initially consulted the local community about our plans in 2011.

“There have been some delays to the programme, but we now plan to submit an updated application in early autumn.

“As well as maintaining continued supply of materials to local construction projects, there would be no significant changes to the location of the processing plant, the hours of working, working practices or employment levels.

“What would now be different would be a new scheme to manage the dirty water coming from the old Redbridge Council landfill and a restoration

scheme which incorporates some feedback from our last consultation exhibition.

“We are also discussing footpath management with the London Borough of Redbridge to ensure site safety and security.

“We don’t adopt a standardised approach but tailor stand-offs to local environments around specific properties. We base these on the results of the various technical evaluations which are being carried out by independent specialist consultants.

“At Fairlop, the stand-off may not be the same all around the site, but will generally be about 100 metres.

“Once our plans and proposals are finalised, we will distribute information across the local community, which will also be made available via our website.”

WHAT THE COMPANY SAYS...

� August 1, 2002

� November 18, 2004

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