Dear Sir
Re: Bradwell ‘B’ Stage One Consultation
Your recent emails requesting comment from local authorities refer.
As the Chair of Little Baddow Parish Council I write to set out the significant
concerns that the Council and residents of Little Baddow have regarding the planned
development of Bradwell ‘B’ Power Station.
Little Baddow is a small, rural Essex village surrounded by beautiful protected
woodlands and bordered to the north by the Chelmer and Blackwater navigation.
Perched on one of the highest points in Essex it is a mecca for walkers, cyclists and
dog lovers with miles of footpaths through beautiful nature reserves or along the
Chelmer and Blackwater to Paper Mill Lock.
Little Baddow has some 1,600 residents and is reached through a number of narrow
and single-track lanes. As such the major issue for Little Baddow is the planned
traffic movements on the A414 through Danbury during the ‘Early Years’
development phase.
I understand that Danbury Parish Council have provided a detailed response to your
request for comment about the impact of the proposed traffic movements on the
A414. The knock-on effect is that to avoid the congestion on the A414 many drivers
use the lanes through Little Baddow as ‘rat-runs’ in an attempt to speed up their
journey times.
In summary the key concerns for Little Baddow residents are:
• Increase in traffic volume on narrow and single-track lanes through the village
• Speeding on the roads – this is a well-documented ongoing issue that is
currently being monitored by a Resident Speedwatch Group. Evidence of
significant speeding is being collated to support the installation of traffic
calming measures. Once successful this will slow traffic through the village so
any increase in volume will lead to congestion.
• Pedestrian safety – most of the lanes do not have footpaths or lighting and
therefore generate significant risks for pedestrians using the lanes.
• Increase in risks of accidents on the lanes from more traffic

• Pollution – both noise and air quality from the increase in traffic volume
The impact on the overall amenity value of the area for walkers and cyclists will be
greatly diminished and so generates conflict with Essex County Council views of the
area as a major recreational resource to promote the health and well-being of all
Essex residents.

Little Baddow Parish Council believes that the option to use the A414 through
Danbury as a major route for construction and site worker traffic for accessing the
Bradwell ‘B’ power station development is not acceptable.

For road traffic we see the option of building a new link road from Maldon, picking up
from the planned route and enhancements to roads in the Dengie peninsula, to the
A12 at Hatfield Peverel/Witham as the best solution creating a purpose-built roadway
that is capable of carrying the type and volume of traffic envisaged. This would have
the added benefit of providing an alternative route for Maldon residents to access the
A12 and given the significant volume of new house building in Maldon this could be
most welcome.

We share the concerns of Chelmsford City Council that the Coronavirus pandemic
has led to the cancellation of planned consultation events including public exhibitions
which will have limited the opportunity for residents to participate effectively. We
request that once Government guidelines permit events are re-instated to enable the
originally planned public consultation to take place.

Yours sincerely
Peter Irvine
Chair, Little Baddow Parish Council