Thu 3rd Oct 2024: The long and winding road (between a rock and a hard place)

After 11 years of campaigning for the retention of the Halstead Air Raid Shelters and the surrounding land, Halstead 21st Century Group once again presented a statement at the Braintree District Council Planning Committee on the 1st of October, for the latest planning application for the development of Land East of High Street, Halstead.

However, for the first time we broadly supported the latest application, and the constraints within it.

Whilst it is still the case that we want to preserve all of the shelters, we also recognise that a compromise needs to be found where we can preserve as much of this unique history on our doorstep as we possibly can. The 15 underground shelters and 1 over ground structure are in a state of disrepair, and as time passes their situation and integrity continues to deteriorate. Vandalism, antisocial behaviour, flooding and the growth of invasive plants is daily destroying these unique assets and something needs to change, or they will soon be lost forever.

We all recognise that this is a complex site, with a host of constraints, and cannot be approached and developed without recognition of this. This current planning application is the first one that actually recognises the significance of the shelters and the heritage they represent.

For 2 years, we have been working with Halstead New Homes and specialist Archaeological consultants to develop, price and implement a solution for the refurbishment and reinstatement of the shelters, and a sustainable plan for the ongoing management and return of the shelters and surrounding site to community use.

We have developed a “Heads of Terms” to secure a long Leasehold agreement and financial contribution for the solution and ongoing management. This also gives us the opportunity to access match funding from the National Lottery Heritage fund. We believe that this is an opportunity to create a “Heritage Park” within the centre of our town, preserving our history, creating a safe open space for wellness, nature and bio-diversity, as well as adestination and educational resource that will immerse visitors, schools and community groups in to our historic past.

Wider to the heritage of the park, it will bring people and commerce to our town, provide a resource for schools and community groups, and help residents to further develop a pride in our community. We have engaged with the community in Halstead to gain support for the park, and worked with other organisations including:

     The Essex Industrial Archaeology Group

     Council for British Archaeology

     The Association for Industrial Archaeology,

     and, North Essex Heritage, who are developing Jumbo in Colchester

It is perceived by many that Halstead is already overburdened with new homes, and there is no doubt that services and infrastructure are already beyond breaking point. We also recognise that these new homes proposed are not what we would all wish, and for those living around the site, there will be disruption and a loss of privacy.

The Halstead 21st Century Group would ask that we all take a step back and look at what we could achieve in partnership and with a commitment to engage with the developer to find a compromise.

The outcome of the Braintree District Council (BDC) Planning Committee meeting was a refusal to the development. This will be good news to the many who are directly affected by the development and those that do not want more houses, whatever the impact on our Heritage.  We as a heritage group campaigning to save our shelters were disappointed. We were, however, able to take some positive feedback from the councillors.

The BDC Planning Committee were complimentary of the development and its aspirations. They recognised that this was the best solution they had seen for the land and recognised the benefits of a Heritage Park in Halstead. However, they were unable to give their approval, as there were too many conditions that were yet to be achieved within the current application.

They were also very complimentary of the Halstead 21st Century Group, and recognised our effort to preserve this site for as long as we have and with such resilience.

The Halstead 21st Century Group will continue to campaign for the saving of our shelters, and will work with Halstead New Homes, Halstead Town Council, and Braintree District Council, to reach a workable solution, one that will provide a sustainable long-term solution to bring this valuable historical heritage back to the centre of our community.

The alternative is that the Halstead Air Raid Shelters will continue to deteriorate on a daily basis, and will soon be lost to history with the people who built them, the souls that sought safety from bombing within them, and the community that they protected through the worst of times. Now, those shelters are suffering their worst of times, it is time for us to protect them.