Residents on the Dovers Farm estate in Rainham have been fighting plans by Havering Council to build homes on the green space in the middle of their estate. Green space that was intentionally planned in as an integral part of the estate when it was built in the 1950s to provide recreational opportunities for the residents. The people fighting this proposal to cover their green with houses are not NIMBYs. They accept that new housing is needed in the area but they rightly do not want to see open space that’s used by the community sacrificed to provide it. Particularly when there’s lots of genuine brownfield land available in the southern part of Havering and over into neighbouring Barking & Dagenham.

The latest phase of the residents’ campaign to save the space is getting it adopted as a Village Green which will give it protected status. A similar campaign was fought in Vange against plans by Basildon Council to build on Kent View Road Recreation Ground which the residents won after a long battle: https://www.facebook.com/groups/VANGE.COMMUNITY/permalink/867527176740291/

This is how the issue is being covered in the Romford Recorder: Council makes only objection to Rainham estate residents’ application for Village Green status – http://www.romfordrecorder.co.uk/news/council-makes-only-objection-to-rainham-estate-residents-application-for-village-green-status-1-5300769

This is a statement from the Dovers Farm Estate Green Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/groups/DFEVG/:

New campaign: ‘ADOPT OUR GREEN!’

The public consultation on the Dovers Farm Estate Green’s application to make the locals’ ‘open space’ into Village Green, ended on the 15th November. Only the Council objected. Despite this and the Committee’s response we hope that the Council will think again and finally accept that this Green is an historic and much loved space.

We are calling upon the Council to think again and adopt the locals’ application to turn the space into a Village Green. If you agree please e-mail the Council Leader in your own words or the following to councillorroger.ramsey@havering.gov.uk:

‘The green space bounded by New Zealand Way is much loved and used by locals. The Council is already expecting us to accept the intensification and loss of community space in the nearby flats and absorb the impact upon our streets from traffic generated in the proposed Beam Park development. Please do not take away our Green too. I request the Council does the right thing by adopting the (Village) Green. Show us you are a fair Council?’

This is yet another local authority thinking they can ride roughshod over the wishes of their residents and get away with it. The arrogance of Havering Council in trashing green space valued by the community that uses it is another example that backs up our assertion that the system of local governance we have is simply not fit for purpose: Falling apart…an update:( – https://southessexstirrer.wordpress.com/2017/09/23/falling-apart-2/ We sincerely hope that the residents of the Dovers Farm estate stick to their guns and that in the end they prevail with another victory for people power…