Broomfield, Great Waltham & Little Waltham Lib Dem Campaigners
Lib Dems step up campaign against Conservative plans for houses in Broomfield
Local Conservative Councillors are proposing 400 houses for the edge of Broomfield and 400 for the northern edge of Chelmsford, closing the gap between the village and the town.
They also propose at least 3,500 houses between Little Waltham and North Springfield. These are opposed by Broomfield & Walthams Lib Dem Councillor Malcolm Taylor and all his Lib Dem colleagues.
Link to leaflet with map showing the proposals for houses on green fields
More about the housing plans on our Urban Sprawl page
A Lib Dem track record in Broomfield & The Walthams
Malcolm Taylor
Malcolm Taylor was elected as Lib Dem Councillor for Broomfield, Great Waltham and Little Waltham on 11 September 2007. He gained the seat on a huge 29% swing from the Conservatives.
Malcolm is a former chairman of Broomfield Parish Council and has pledged to work hard for all local residents.
Contact Malcolm on 01245 440469 or email
News from Broomfield & Walthams Lib Dems
- Dec 31, 2008:
- Lib Dems oppose 800 houses in north Chelmsford/Broomfield and 3200+ in Springfield
Coming soon to green fields north of Chelmsford Liberal Democrats in north Chelmsford will continue to fight plans for an "urban sprawl" extension that will close the gap between the northern edge of the town and Broomfield parish. Plans for up to 400 houses on the edge of north Chelmsford and up to 400 more on the edges of Broomfield are contained in Chelmsford Borough Council's final "North Chelmsford Area Action Plan". The Conservative-run Council has published its plan for consultation until 16th February. North Chelmsford Lib Dem Councillor Tom Smith-Hughes commented, "The Liberal Democrats have fought these proposals for years and will continue to do so. The burden on local services and the environment is unacceptable." The plan also contains proposals for at least 3,200 houses on green fields north of Springfield to the east of the A130 Essex Regiment Way. Lib Dem Leader and Springfield Councillor Mike Mackrory commented, "The Conservative proposals will create a vast urban sprawl over what was prime farm land. The Liberal Democrat proposals for a new sustainable community north of Boreham on the old airfield (a 'brownfield' site) would have been far more sustainable and environmentally friendly." Along with organisations like English Heritage, the Liberal Democrats attacked earlier Conservative plans to build around the Grade One listed New Hall. Cllr Mackrory welcomed this news saying, "Thankfully this aspect of the plan has been amended". The houses are now planned to go slightly further north, away from the proposed railway station. Cllr Mackrory added, "My real concern is that the new railway station, schools and new road network will not be in place in good time to support these houses. This will inevitably cause severe traffic problems throughout North East Chelmsford and Springfield in particular. "This consultation process is designed to allow members of the public to have their say about the proposed development. We hope the Council will listen to people's concerns about green field development and further traffic pressures in our town". There is one piece of good news, though. Plans for a cross-valley route over the River Chelmer have been dropped, following a sustained campaign by many residents, backed by the Liberal Democrats. Cllr Mackrory commented, "The impact on the environment and in dragging more traffic through Broomfield was never going to be acceptable." The council's plans plus a consultation form are at: www.chelmsford.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=16352 These 4,000 houses on green fields are in addition to the 10-12,000 new houses that are to be built within the existing areas of housing by the year 2021. Related Links PDF leaflet and map of greenfields where the Conservatives propose to build More on the ongoing Liberal Democrat campaign against overdevelopment Published & promoted by Ian Gale on behalf of Chelmsford Liberal Democrats, all at 20 Dane Road, Chelmsford, CM1 2SS...... 01245 358903 Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
- Sep 12, 2007:
- Lib Dems win by-election on massive swing
Malcolm Taylor, Mike Mackrory, Chris Rycroft, Stephen Robinson and fellow Lib Dems celebrate election win The Liberal Democrats have gained the vacant seat of Broomfield and The Walthams on Chelmsford council on a massive 29% swing. The result strengthens the position of the Lib Dems on Chelmsford council, which now has 25 Lib Dems, 32 Conservatives and no other Councillors. The victorious candidate, Malcolm Taylor, expressed his delight at winning. He thanked all the people in Broomfield, Great Waltham and Little Waltham who had voted for him and pledged to do his best for the residents of the villages. Group Leader Cllr Mike Mackrory added, "I am delighted that the Lib Dem group has gained such a hard working community politician. He will be a valuable member of the Council and a welcome addition to the team." The full result was LD 1198 (56.3%) +38.3% on May 2007 Con 742 (34.9%) -19.35% Lab 76 (3.6%) -4.7% UKI 57 (2.7%) -6.3% Grn 53 (2.5%) -7.9% This gain adds to the five seats gained by the Liberal Democrats at the main round of elections in May 2007. Published & promoted by Ian Gale on behalf of Chelmsford Liberal Democrats, all at 20 Dane Road, Chelmsford, CM1 2SS...... 01245 358903 Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
- Sep 1, 2007:
- Get traffic off village roads!
Too many fast cars and heavy goods vehicles are still plaguing Broomfield, Great Waltham and neighbouring villages. Local Lib Dem candidate Malcolm Taylor is calling for the long-promised down-grading of the A130 through from Great Waltham to Dunmow, so that more traffic heading to and from Stansted and beyond will use the A131 and A120. Malcolm also wants immediate action to get park-and-ride up and running from the North of Chelmsford, including the servicing of Broomfield Hospital. To the south, Park and Ride is a dramatic success. Time to address our problems here too! And further consideration should be given to the installation of attractive village gateways to discourage and to slow down traffic. Malcolm Taylor says: "Why are our Conservative Councillors not forcing these things to the top of the agenda? Our villages are not safe in their hands." Published & promoted by Ian Gale on behalf of Chelmsford Liberal Democrats, all at 20 Dane Road, Chelmsford, CM1 2SS...... 01245 358903 Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
- Aug 14, 2007:
- Strong candidate to defeat Tory housing plans in Broomfield & Walthams
Malcolm Taylor at one of the sites proposed for houses by the Conservatives The local Liberal Democrats have selected a strong candidate to defeat Conservative plans to desecrate the local environment around Broomfield, Great Waltham and Little Waltham. Malcolm Taylor will fight the local by-election on 11 September, and is well-placed to defeat the Conservatives as the Lib Dems came second here in May's election. The May 2007 result shows that it is either the Lib Dems or Conservatives who will win in Broomfield & The Walthams Malcolm (pictured at one of the sites promoted by the Tories for housing) is a welcome and well known figure, a long serving Broomfield Parish Councillor, and its Chairman up until 2004, before standing down earlier this year. Working actively on many local concerns, he is also deeply involved in health service issues - as a member of the Broomfield Hospital Patient Council and a Foundation Member of the North Essex Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust. Malcolm commented: "It's a pleasure to work as a Liberal Democrat to resist the Tory threats - urban sprawl and building on our green spaces, threatening the river valley, and unleashing yet more rat-running traffic on an already inadequate infrastructure. He continued: "This by-election will send a strong message to the Council and to the Planning Inspector that the Tory plans are simply unacceptable. They steamroller over the best interests of our villages." Related Links Download a poster (PDF) to support Malcolm Taylor in the by-election Published & promoted by Ian Gale on behalf of Chelmsford Liberal Democrats, all at 20 Dane Road, Chelmsford, CM1 2SS...... 01245 358903 Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
- May 17, 2005:
- Tory Consultation " a sham"… Development Chairman should be sacked - Smith-Hughes
Leader of the County Council Lib Dems, Cllr. Tom Smith-Hughes, has attacked the Conservative Borough Council planning consultation as a sham. This follows a statement by a leading Tory that ALL the new housing would be built in North East Chelmsford. That is, on the remaining green fields north of Springfield. The statement was made by Broomfield's Cllr Ashford, Chairman of the Council's Development Policy Committee in an election leaflet. Cllr Smith-Hughes said, "He has made these claims before the public's representations to the consultations have even been completed let alone the Councillors having the chance to consider the options." He went on, "This contradicts the Councils own Borough Life Newspaper which stated that the search for new housing would be in "locations to the North and East of Chelmsford". Given that the Government is imposing these numbers of houses on us, the previous Lib Dem Council wanted a sustainable development to the east of Chelmsford with direct links to the A12 and a new railway station. A sustainable plan scrapped by the Conservatives. CALL FOR SACKING Cllr. Smith-Hughes added, "Clearly the Development Policy Chairman has misled the electors in a crude attempt to win votes where he was standing. He has no authority to make such statements and should be sacked." Published & promoted by Ian Gale on behalf of Chelmsford Liberal Democrats, all at 20 Dane Road, Chelmsford, CM1 2SS...... 01245 358903 Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
Graham Pooley and John Hunnable
Graham Pooley was Broomfield & Great Waltham's Borough Councillor 1995-2003, and is still an active campaigner. As a Councillor, Graham worked hard for our villages. In the picture (left) Graham briefs Cllr. John Hunnable on his successful campaign for a footpath along School Lane to Patching Hall Lane, during the 2005 election campaign.
John Hunnable was the Liberal Democrat candidate for Broomfield & Writtle in the Essex County Council election on 5 May 2005. He is a long-standing local campaigner and hard-working Borough Councillor for over 20 years.
