"OUR airfield is not the dumping ground of Epping Forest – we don't want your homes here."
This is the message coming loud and clear from North Weald residents after six councillors called in the district council's decision to build 1,100 homes on the aerodrome.
The plan will be examined at a meeting of the authority's Overview and Scrutiny Panel on August 27.
North Weald Residents' Association is firmly against what it has described as an attempt by other district councillors to stop houses being built in their backyards.
Committee member Terry Blanks, of Harrison Drive, North Weald, said: "The councillors in Chigwell and other towns think they can dump all the houses on our airfield. We are not a dustbin for their housing problems.
"The bottom line can be boiled down to three words: 'Save Our Airfield'. What we want is fairness – the thousands of homes that some councillors think is OK to build in our small town isn't fair. It would almost double the size of North Weald.
"We know there is a housing problem, and we know something must be done about it, but the whole district must play their part."
The 72-year-old continued: "We will be going down to the Overview and Scrutiny Panel in numbers and show them how much we care for the airfield. It is an historic and important site – it has stood through two world wars and is always described by the council as the 'jewel in our crown'."
David Stallan, councillor for North Weald Bassett, said: "I am not surprised that it has been called in and I wait to see what their reasons are.
"If councillors believe that building homes at North Weald will stop houses being built in their wards, they are sadly deluding themselves and if they are telling their residents that this is the case than they are misleading them as well.
"I look forward to going to the panel, which has been given its own full meeting, which is it what it deserves."
Fellow ward councillor Anne Grigg, who will be defending the decision at the panel, said: "They are entitled to call the decision in as they have done. It is part of the process. However, I believe the correct decision was made at the cabinet meeting and I will be defending that.
"I am glad to hear that the residents' association is coming to support the airfield. It is such an important site and I think the role it played in the Second World War is something that has often been overlooked."
An Epping Forest District Council spokeswoman said: "As one of the district council's most important assets, any decision concerning the future of North Weald Airfield needs careful consideration.
"Having received the conclusions of the Strategic Review of the Airfield undertaken by the Council's expert consultants, Deloitte, the cabinet favoured a mixed-use option, which retains general aviation, while offering opportunities for new homes, employment and additional community facilities.
"The council's constitution allows for any decision taken by the Cabinet to be 'called in' for further scrutiny. This is part of the open, transparent approach that the district council has adopted, which we believe enhances the democratic process."
