An Exhibition On the Future Of Hockley

August

9

by admin // in Hockley

4 comments

We understand the District Council have sent out the following to various people interested in the Hockley Area Action Plan:

Dear Sir / Madam,
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I am writing to inform you of an upcoming exhibition that may be of interest to you.
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The Council are in the process of preparing the Hockley Area Action Plan (HAAP). The HAAP will create the framework for development sites and planning policies for Hockley, and act as the focal point for the coordination of other public policies and programmes. The HAAP will help guide public and private investment in the area.
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There have already been previous stages of consultation and we are now approaching a stage where, having considered a range of options, a preferred framework for Hockley is emerging.
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There will be further, formal, public consultation later in the year, but we welcome comments at this stage. As such, an exhibition on the emerging work will be displayed in Hockley library from mid-afternoon on 14 August until 28 August. Comments forms will be available to complete and return at the library.
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In addition, the exhibition material will be available via the Council?s website, with a link prominently displayed on the homepage at www.rochford.gov.uk.
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As stated above, further, formal public consultation will take place later in the year. Dates have yet to be confirmed, but we will endeavour to notify you again when this consultation takes place….

About the author, admin

  • This new ‘consultation’ appears to be a response to the recent question at Full Council about the two-tier process being undertaken by the council. However,it will not legitimise the process.
    The HAAP has been built on shifting sands from the very beginning. The Core Strategy states that the Retail & Leisure Study says Hockley has “great potential”. It doesn’t say that! It actually says the opposite; that Hockley has limited potential and should be downgraded to a district [village] status. Outright misrepresentation. Why?
    When asked to pay special attention to the obvious highways issues in Hockley, Cllr Hudson refused outright. Why?
    The council has already determined that the outcome of the ‘consulation’ (and note “its not a referendum”) will be the redevelopment of the industrial area and introduction of a town square. The Council says this is in accord with the Core Strategy. It is not. Why?
    We fully expect this will be overturned by the Ombudsman and/or the Planning Inspector and will result in yet more expenditure to put right the mistakes. Don’t say the council wasn’t warned.

  • Brian Guyett and the HRA have done a great job in bringing this issue into focus (no pun intended!!) but despite winning a new consultation exhibition, which must be limited being right in the middle of the summer holidays, as far as I am concerned the Council’s track record to date on all public consultations in the Core Strategy process has been to discount majority public opinion when decisions are made. What is the point of consulting the public? The reason is that the process must show for legal compliance that there was public involvement. Public opinion does not have to be followed. I remember reading once that Hockley was only getting 50 new dwellings in the whole DPD process which must be one of the lowest development targets in Rochford District and much lower than neighbouring Hawkwell which must be far less sustainable? Has his changed Brian? Your comments will be most welcome in Hawkwell.

  • John, Hockley has always been down for about 200 houses and nothing has changed.
    You are spot on about consultation, or the lack of it. The council has confirmed it didn’t even bother to analyse the responses to the last round before deciding what the outcome of the ‘consultation’ would be. It is clear that consultations in this district are simply a waste of public money and Cllr Hudson seemed to confirm this when he stated, at full council, that “it is not a referendum” .

  • I just had to look up this up again from 2011 to prove to myself that I had read the published statement……….“Hockley will provide just 50 of the 3800 new homes that are identified in the Core Strategy and those 50 homes are likely to be located solely on pre-built on land.”

    Thank you for clarifying the position and clearly stating above that Hockley has always been down for 200 houses.

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