A short service of dedication was held in October at the Headquarters Room of the Royal British Legion in The Street, when a Roll of Honour was installed in memory of the local men who died in the two World Wars.
"The centre of the village has undergone another alteration with the demolition of number 2 Skinners Lane. Some concern was expressed by local people that the house, that has overlooked the shopping area for many years, might be of some historic importance. Enquiries at the County Archaeology and Historic Buildings section produced the response that '… before permission to demolish was given, a site survey was carried out to check its importance as an old building. It was noted that the building was of common construction with no real merit.' The temporary building on the corner of the junction, occupied by Galleywood Kitchens, was also taken down and the firm now occupies the new building erected on the site.
The name sign, spanning the front of the new building, provoked some adverse local comment when it first appeared. The feeling was that this was over large and obtrusive led to an investigation of the plans for the development and although the sign was found to be larger than originally proposed, it still fell within the planning rules. There was general agreement, however, that the refurbishment of the site had made the area safer for pedestrians."
At a gathering attended by around sixty people on the Common in July, the Mayor of Chelmsford formally announced that The Common had been granted the status of Local Nature Reserve. It now becomes one of around 200 'LNR's' declared in England since the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act was passed in 1949. These sites cover a wide range of interests and uses and section 15 of the Act defines a Nature Reserve as:
'land managed for the purpose of providing,under suitable conditions and control, special opportunities for the study of, and research into, matters relating to the flora and fauna of Great Britain and the physical conditions in which they live, and for the study of geological and physiographical features of special interest in the area, or of preserving flora, fauna or geologial or physiographical features of special interest in the area, or both these purposes'
The Parish Planning Committee has protested against proposals by the Borough Council to extend the village envelope into the Green Belt. The Council suggests that the area bounded by Slades Lane, Beehive Lane and Stock Road and also the land between 'White House' and 'Ravenscroft' should be used for residential purposes. The Planning Committee has written to the Borough, objecting strongly to the proposals and insisting that areas of Green Belt should be maintained.
Residents in West Hanningfield Road have raised complaints at the number of activities at the Baddow Park Mushroom Farm. They are concerned about the parking of container lorries, with arrivals very late at night and movements as early as 4.30 am. The presence of a number of skips together with a 20 foot high pile of rubbish leads them to fear that a skip hire business is being conducted there. The Borough Council Planning Officer has written to the owners of the site stating that a transport business is in breach of planning control and should cease. He will continue to monitor the situation. The site owners claim no skip hire business is in operation and that the skips are there in connection with business. The manufacture of cardboard appears to have been in operation for over ten years, unrelated to the Mushroom Farm, and is therefore lawful. Residents were asked to provide evidence in the form of photographs or invoices for skip hire. They have asked for a weight restriction on the road but the council declare this is not practicable.
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1987