The application in Hawkwell for 175 extra homes was refused tonight.
Ward Councillor John Mason , supported by his fellow ward councillor Christine Mason, successfully moved refusal on the grounds of:
– poor design (criticised by the County Council Urban Adviser)
– garden sizes often well below council standards
He was supported vitually unanimously by councillors on this, and the scheme was refused. The general view was that David Wilson Homes are a good builder who should be doing better here. Councillors also felt that the core strategy had only been approved 2 days earlier. We should not already be abandoning the standards we set for things like garden sizes!
John Mason did a good job for his residents tonight, and the council did itself some credit by listening to him carefully. He was unsuccessful in one aspect though. He wanted an extra reason for refusal, based on paragraph 1.124 of the officers report:
1.124 The Local Planning Authority must be satisfied the application site is the most suitable site option within the general location determined by the Core Strategy, if it is to be considered favourably.
John argued that the it had not been established that this was “the most suitable site option” within the general location of South Hawkwell. However the Masons got support from only a handful of councillors and so the reason wasn’t included.
The end result is that there will almost certainly be housing here eventually – but hopefully of a better design with better garden sizes. And because of the efforts tonight, all the other big sites across the district – from Great Wakering to “land North of London Road” – could be of better quality in the years to come.
One final point – the public gallery was packed with concerned residents – and they were impeccably behaved.
The Echo is reporting that the SE Rapid Transport System is in doubt again, blowing another hole in the recently approved Core Strategy. What a surprise!