It is with great sadness that we again find ourselves having to stave off another planning application to bulldoze and destroy an area of natural beauty and habitat to many wildlife species (known to many locals as the horses field).
Gradually, we are squeezing these humble creatures out, churning up their homes, cutting down their trees, and taking away their food source.
The horses’ field is one of the first focal points as you enter Borehamwood via Sterling Corner giving a good first impression in contrast to a concrete housing estate of 200+ homes.
Progression is inevitable but we need to be sensible. At 8am every morning during the weekdays, the queue of traffic extends from Sterling Corner down Furzehill Road and down the hill to Arundel Drive. These levels of congestion are not sustainable making it so difficult for residents to travel away from their homes combined with the increased levels of fumes being pumped into the local atmosphere. The roundabout by the horses field is grid locked and the traffic in Barnet Lane moves at a snail’s pace. Add another few hundred cars and a few years of construction vehicles and it will become a disaster – intolerable for the local residents.
Clearly bad for the local environment but also bad for people’s state of mind. The walking route from Furzehill Road opposite Cranes Way and through the trees along Carrington Avenue was a god send during Covid – an attractive walk bringing peace and helping locals with their mental health.
The idea that Carrington Avenue could provide emergency access is misguided. With the roads being so narrow you witness on many occasions where cars are parked on both sides of the road blocking vehicles from passing.
Borehamwood has changed beyond recognition where the population has increased significantly yet the infrastructure cannot cope eg Trains are packed, you can never get a GP doctor’s appointment etc…. Once Sky Studios starts being populated then the extra traffic is going to have a significant impact on an already gridlocked town.
The horses’ field is not the place for new homes. Brownfield sites and conversion of unwanted commercial units should be the focus across the country rather than depletion of precious green spaces in our busy towns.