Coral have asked us today to post the following message here on onlinefocus. We’re happy to do this, because we think it can be useful when developers have a dialogue with residents.
However we won’t let this bias us either for or against….
Dear readers and local residents,
As it is now a few months since we met with local residents in August and since we submitted our revised planning application for the mixed use building on Priory Chase we thought it would be appropriate to update residents on our proposals.
Since submitting our first application in June 2008 and withdrawing it after meeting with residents we have gone back to the drawing board and tried very hard to accommodate as many of the comments as possible. These are the changes we have made:
* We have dropped the residential element of the scheme which addresses any concerns with bringing more homes to the local area and with the overall height and scale of the building;
* The revised scheme proposes 6 commercial in comparison to the 7 approved on the site, further reducing the scale and potential impact of the development;
* 23 car parking spaces are proposed with the development, 10 more than previously approved, reducing any potential local parking problems;
* A condition has been agreed with Officers concerning the uses that will occupy the unit, preventing any particular use from dominating the parade and allowing for community uses to occupy any of the 6 units;
* We have confirmed that no drinking establishments will occupy the units, reducing the likelihood of anti-social behaviour within the local area;It should be remembered this site has an existing planning permission for a similar mixed use building which is unfettered and has no conditions restricting the type of uses which could occupy the units and could be built tomorrow. Despite the context of the history and the strong case that we would have for gaining permission for a larger unrestricted scheme, through our accommodation of local resident?s views, we have given the local community the opportunity to influence a development on their doorstep. The scheme being considered at present incorporates and has been heavily influenced by those views we have heard.
The question is would residents wish to see our development fail when the other options for the site are less appealing. Should our scheme be unsuccessful the option on the land will revert back to the current landowner who would have the choice of using the existing unrestricted consent to build the larger scheme or to use this base consent to seek approval for a more intensive development which could give rise to further concerns for local people.
We accept that residents are not 100% supportive of our application, however now is the time to consider what the realistic options are and whether we have tried to address local concerns to the extent that the scheme will be less intrusive than first feared. You may be aware that the application is going before the Development Control Committee this Thursday with a recommendation of approval and we would hope that local residents will support the view of their professional Officers.
Kind Regards
Nic Morgan
Project Coral (Rayleigh) Ltd
“We have dropped the residential element of the scheme which addresses any concerns with bringing more homes to the local area and with the overall height and scale of the building;”
Misrepresentation of fact!
First and foremost local residents were (I still am) not in favour of the shops. I can’t remember anyone complaining about the height? The higher the better as far as I’m concerned to block the view of the carbuncle that is ASDA.
Secondly local residents were opposed to the flats above the shops because of the illconceived design etc… If an application to build well designed flats with adequate parking etc was submitted I don’t think that anyone would have a valid cause for complaint, especially if the flats were sold on the same basis as the existing flats on Priory Chase i.e. affordable homes for key workers. Better flats than shops.
Local Residents are not opposed “to bringing more homes into the local area”, we are outraged and opposed to the commercail overdevelopment of this small residential area and the proposed use of Green belt land to build houses! By all means use Brown fields sites i.e. ASDA!
I am personally opposed to the shops but it seems that other residents have swallowed CORAL’s crude attempt at blackmail (threat of a petrol Station?) and are now in favour of the shops and will embrace hot food take aways etc…no doubt the same residents will be posting complaints of litter and anitisocail behaviour outside the shops in the future…
“It should be remembered this site has an existing planning permission for a similar mixed use building which is unfettered and has no conditions restricting the type of uses which could occupy the units and could be built tomorrow”
Very clever! Why haven’t ASDA built 7 shops then? Because they have chosen not to and I wonder why…?
I have to say that the marketting material Wimpeys were showing when we brought our house in 2005 showed shops on the site that is now being developed – this is not a new idea, and was shown and discussed with us when we purchased over 3 years ago. What we knew nothing about was the size of ASDA which was misrepresented.
Any speculation on why ASDA has not developed the land is just that, sheer speculation. ASDA are not likely to come forward and give us that information. The idea of the petrol station has been submitted in formal letters that have been published on the internet and therefore carry more weight than the reasons why ASDA have chosen not to develop the land. Think about it this way – if this proposal doesn’t go the land is returned to ASDA to do with as they will, and they will do one of two things, the first is to build as per the planning permission that has already been granted, on that approved application there is no limit on fast food establishments placed there, or on a drinking establishment, oh and it’ for 7 shops, so one pub and 6 fast food joints. The second thing they could do is put in a petrol station, what else are they going to do with it? Leave it for free car parking for resident? where is the financial incentive for them to do that?
No sign of the shops on the marketing material that I received from Wimpey in June 2006 – and I still have the originals – all academic really as I’m sure you’ll get exactly what you wish for!
They were on display in the sales office
And what I wish for is peace and quiet – living where I do, I get neither!