Allnutts Post Office reopens

Estuary Housing Association and Epping Forest District Councilhave been working in partnership to redevelop six small difficult-to-let garage sites and amenity areas across the Epping Forest District, in Loughton, Buckhurst Hill and Waltham Abbey to provide homes for local people on the Council’s Housing Register.

The developments are named after famous artists and scientists Blake, Barnes, Faraday, Newton, Raphael and Turner. The six sites have provided 29 new homes – 18 homes are for rent, at affordable rents with long term assured tenancies. 11 homes are for shared ownership (“part rent part buy”) for first time buyers, enabling the occupiers to buy equity in the home, and increase the amount of equity in future years, up to full home ownership.

Estuary are delighted to see the project complete and to mark the occasion Conservative Cllr Penny Smith, Chairman of Epping Forest District Councilpresented a hand painted scheme sign to the residents living in Raphael Drive. The design of the sign has been chosen by the residents who feel it will further enhance the look of the new scheme. “Estuary are delighted to have completed this complex set of developments in partnership with Epping Forest District Council.

We are even more delighted to have produced such high quality homes that have proved very popular with the new residents.” Paul Durkin, Chief Executive Epping Forest District Council enabled the developments to be built, by providing a capital grant to Estuary Housing Association of £1 million and transferring the land for free. The remainder of the scheme has been funded by Estuary’s private finance (a loan from a funding institution).

All residents for the rented housing have been nominated by the Council, through the Council’s Home Options Choice Based Lettings Scheme. Conservative Cllr David Stallan, the Council’s Housing Portfolio Holder said “we are very pleased to see the completion of this scheme, which is providing much needed affordable homes to people on our Housing Register, as well as an opportunity to housing applicants who are unable to buy on the open market, but who want to get their first step on the home ownership ladder”.

Leslie and Lynne Silverman residents living at Raphael Drive said “We are really pleased with our new bungalow, which is extremely well built and very comfortable, with a lovely communal garden”.

THE town's vision of a new £6.7m health centre has moved one step closer as plans are revealed to the public for the first time.

Floor plan drawings for the new Ongar War Memorial Medical Centre went on show at Budworth Hall in the High Street on Saturday.

Visitors to the autumn fair held by Ongar and District Healthcare League of Friends, had the opportunity to not only see what was in store for them but also raise any concerns about the development, which will replace the soon to be demolished Ongar War Memorial Hospital, in Fyfield Road.

Ongar county councillor, Gerard McEwen, said:

I think it's a jolly good thing as it lets everyone know what's happening. They are quite exciting proposals and they have come up with a number of ways to get over some of the original snags like parking."The three-storey building will accommodate the town's two GP practices, a dentist and various clinics, with patient parking at the rear.

The building will be designed around a central courtyard area and the ground floor will accommodate the reception, dentist, speech and language centre along with a multi-purpose clinic hall and physiotherapy space.

The doctors will have their own reception and will be based on the first floor which will have consulting rooms, treatment rooms and a minor procedure room. The top floor will comprise staff facilities and administrative support.

Leigh Fleming, the director of corporate services for NHS West Essex said: "This is a really exciting project which will give a real boost to the healthcare facilities in Ongar and the surrounding area.

"We are keen to involve local people in the planning stages – including the proposals for a war memorial as part of the development – and want to hear what people think of the proposals."

She added: "We appreciate that parking is a key issue and, with the district council, will investigate the possible use of land on the leisure centre site opposite.

"We are also meeting with bus company Arriva and Essex County Council over the possibility of getting buses re-routed to include the medical centre."

NHS West Essex intends to submit a planning application to Epping Forest District Council in mid-December. But many believe hopes of opening the centre in December 2011 are too ambitious.

Cllr Gerard McEwen said: "It's a very tight schedule and I think they will find it extremely difficult to hit that target, but we are committed at district council to do all we can"

Fact:  Essex County Council is to become the first local authority in the country to provide financial assistance to small businesses during the economic downturn. Innovative plans to make £50m available for lending to local businesses were approved at a meeting of Essex County Councils Cabinet.. The Lib Dems said this is a waste of money. Conservatives believe small businesses are vital for jobs and prosperity.

Fact: The Conservatives Councillors at the District Council want to keep rates to 1.5% and will strive to keep it at this level for the next 2 years. this is below the existing Rate of inflation which stands at 2.9%. The Lib Dems wanted to offer a zero rate increase but this would have emptied the contingency pot leaving the council with no reserves. This policy would have been silly and shows how the Lib Dems cannot operate sound fiscal policies with your money.Epping Conservatives understand now is the time to be prudent and help residents in these difficult times.

Fact: £5.5 million has been invested in dozens of community projects across the County. Your taxes are being spent by you on local community projects you have identified. Conservatives will always support local communities at grass roots.

Said Di Collings  the Tory leader of the council;  "Residents including myself were getting a bit fed up with the general state of our streets and parks, they asked us to address the problem and we hope the Man with a Van policy will go some way to helping with the problem

A Massive winning night was celebrated by the Conservative party after taking 4 of the 6 seats in the County elections, 3 seats in the Euro elections and winning a District seat in the By-elections. 

The Winning candidates are;

Valerie Metcalfe  (Con) Buckhurst Hill and Loughton South who beat Ann Haig in the County elections whose challenge to become a candidate as MP for Epping Forest must now be in doubt.

Chigwell and Loughton Broadway  - John Knapman  (Con)

North Weald and Nazing  - Anthony Jackson.  (Con)

Ongar& Rural  - Gerard McEwen (Con)

Waltham Abbey  - Liz Webster (Con)

Waltham Abbey Honey Lane   -  Adam Clark  (Con) as Epping Forest District Council.

The Conservatives also gained 3 seats in the Euro Elections.

Want to know more about the Conservative party policies, click here to see all 28 of them.  Read about our vision for Britain.