In the past few days we’ve had several comments ,emails and phone calls about the lorries transporting earth to Lords Golf Club.
We contacted the District Council about this as soon we were alerted.
They advised that the golf club say the works are in response to a request from their members for a putting green to the rear of the club house. The works required a few lorry loads of topsoil delivered at the 11th Fairway opposite Lubbards Farm. This is a service access where sand and loams are already delivered from time to time and adjoins the water company access and the footpath. The soil is being dumped by their own equipment as they require so as not to rut the greens.
The works should already have been completed, but were obviously still going on today. One resident estimated 20 lorries went past in 2 hours this morning, and Chris saw one just before midday. It’s already been pointed out to us that it must be a pretty big putting green….
We have emailed the planning department again!
Thanks again for everyone’s information on this one.
Sunday evening and a pleasant day without the rattling and clanking of Muckaway lorries in Rawreth lane. The lorries engines under load and their exhausts cause most of the noise when they are full of muck but when returning empty, the tipper hoppers jump off the chassis’s and crash back down again causing a lot of metallic noise.
The speed of the vehicles and the poor road surface account for this. (This uneven part of the road near Trenders Avenue has been discussed more than once at Parish Council meetings and I believe on this site also).
Yesterday the lorries continued at the same relentless pace until 3.30pm and probably only stopped because they had reached the reported daily target of 46 loads (92 movements each way) or, the drivers had used up their alloted tachograph hours.
I will be interested to see how much muck arrives tomorrow for this gargantuan putting green.
Is the “muck” soil or real muck!! I recall someone telling me the owner was using landfill rubbish for his courses!!
Spotted muckaway at 9.50 am this morning . through traffic lights at more than 30mph .Hoping to get 350,000 tonnes in before planners put a stop no doubt !!!
Muckaway lorries delivering throughout day again today.
I am wondering that if a putting green is to be large enough to require such an amount of soil, should this by itself require planning permission.
Planning application 08/00214/FULL for Lords Golf & Country Club was worded in part “Reshaping and Landscaping Parts of the Existing Golf Courses” and the recent decision on this was REFUSE PLANNING PERMISSION.
Is this remodeling or provision of a NEW facility outside the requirement for planning approval???
I have discussed this with senior people in the planning department today. They are well aware of the issue, and public interest.
What I am hearing now is that the material is for an earthen enclosure around the compound where they keep their plant an machinery on site – and apparently an enclosure like this does noot need pelnnaing permission if it doesn’t exceed 2m in height.
The county council have checked to see that it is proper soil being used.
Apparently the operations would have finished today but were halted because of the rain. They should frinish tomorrow…..
Does this mean the Putting Green story was a pack of lies?
Let’s just say that we are hearing a different version of events than we heard last week.
Earth moving lorries are now dumping soil on the driving range i thought this permission was refused
Thanks for this HR – this kind of information is very useful, we have phoned it over to the district council and we are waiting for a call back.
Travelling along the A13 today – to and from Thurrock – I saw a procession of Muckaway lorries and was followed home by some travelling down Rawreth Lane!!
Tnink I can guess where they were heading!!
It seems the contractors delivering to the golf course are playing a tactical game.
Today there were less Muckaway lorries but considerably more similar lorries with GTS and JKS respectively painted on their sides. These lorries are less conspicuous than the red Muckaway lorries but the high number of movements still seems to to remain the same as last week.
A couple of Muckaway lorries that I did see, are now transporting with covers over their contents, whereas before the loads appeared to be reasonable top soil and were not covered.
Do they have something to hide now???
I would have thought it was about time either the owner of the golf club or the council officers, or both, came out with a statement to clear this up. What about asking for a statement from both?
A statement from the golf club would be certainly be helpful. But don’t expect anything from either Essex County Council or Rochford DC – they would probably wish to be cautious for legal reasons.
The people this affects only want the truth. If the golf club are within their rights surely it is beneficial for them to make a statement and clear this up. The longer they stay silent the more people will think they are in the wrong. As for either council they must surely know if the golf club is acting within their rights doing what they are doing. Simple really. The legal aspect only comes into it if a statement is made that is a lie!
more and more lorry loads of earth are being dumped daily on the driving range
I took a look at the wording of Lords planning application today and part of the proposal reads:
“Construct Temporary Site Access Onto Hullbridge Road for Duration of Construction Period”.
As this Planning Permission was refused, surely the temporary access is in breach of the refusal.
Would Admin. please advise on this.
Greenbelt, thanks, we’ve asked for an update….
It might be worth one of the affected residents themselves requesting a statement from the council with a copy of the letter or email to the Echo and the golf club? The Echo might put a little bit in the paper. Always worth a try!
Greenbelt,
The district council understood there would be some deliveries of materials – soils, sands etc. – as part of the maintenance
of the golf course and they are seeking further information on this point.
They are also looking at the recent refusal to ascertain the position of the temporary access. As well as the main access to the buildings complex there are two existing accesses further south.
These have been used for the delivery of materials in the past.
Lorries on the move again early this morning too.