For anyone wondering exactly where the “Hullbridge” application is (it also includes a bit of Rawreth parish), here’s the official location plan:
It’s worth mentioning here a recent comment by Councillor John Mason:
I understand that ECC Highways as Statutory Consultee has Recommended as follows. Prior to first occupation, Highway works along the Lower road, Hullbridge Road and Rawreth Lane Corridor shall have been provided entirely at the Developer?s expense. This includes the: i) Provision of a ghost right hand turn at the junction of Watery lane / Lower Road with associated infrastructure . ii) Provision of a roundabout at the junction of Rawreth Lane and Hullbridge Road with associated infrastructure.
“BEWARE Greeks bearing gifts” of roadworks to come –
At first sight this sounds promising but the timeline is not clear :-
“Prior to first occupation …” could be 2-3 years into the Hullbridge
Site building schedule , and it might start sometime after the Countryside
North of London Rd goes ahead – so potentially 3-5 years of Construction
traffic serving both sites without any road/junction improvements. Why –
because the Countryside proposal does not plan any road works until their
50th &150th house occupation – again 3-5 years into Construction Site work.
Some facts – Countrysides traffic assessment is based solely on the domestic
traffic ultimately added by the development – it does not consider the impact of Construction traffic at all ( probably 5-10 years of heavy and frequent vehicles).
If Hullbridge is coincident / overlapping in timescale then double the Construction traffic loading , if the conversion of Rawreth Ind Estate to housing
happens too ( all 3 are part of RDC’s local plan ) then treble Construction traffic.
Rawreth Lane / Hambro Corner / Hullbridge are the only primary routes serving these sites – I will leave you to imagine if they can cope ? , the first application was refused on this basis and nothing has changed – infrastructure upgrades must be first.
Before we get too excited regarding the intervention of Essex County Councils Statutory recommendation can we be confident that Rochford Council Directors and Executives wont chose to ignore these edicts just as they have decided to cast aside the decision taken on 29th January by 23 District Councillors and the elected Member of Parliament and 700 residents who objected? When they want to cover their backs it seems they do just as they like! BTW Does the serving County Councillor for the area concerned, Councillor Malcom Maddocks, now know where the site is located? He voted for the development in January without studying the application after this scheme has been on the pot brewing for eight years.
In line with what Countryside are having to do on the Runwell site where the roads and balance ponds and drainage is and will be in place before a brick is in place ,this has been a botch up in all sites ,due to the weakness of RDC to insist that ECC look at the road network instead of using desk bound models.What little is proposed will not solve present problems let alone the construction period and the future nightmare .If government insist on south Essex being built on ,then they must provide some investment on the transport network ,that includes the rail connections .
The SEEAGA Green Belt invasion Map is attracting interest – in the ECHO ,
Basildon Recorder , Rayleigh Review and an interview this Saturday morning
on BBC Radio Essex ( breakfast show 6am>9am ) albeit quite brief – but we are getting heard , National Press are being lobbied too.
Hullbridge Planning Application Ref: 14/00813/OUT
The Council has received notification from the applicant to confirm that, following a conversation with the Environment Agency, further fluvial modelling is required of the nearby watercourse. That being the case, the application will not be reported to a meeting of the Development Committee in September. When the modelling work is completed and assessed by the Environment Agency a date for the application to be determined by the Committee will be announced.