Bullwood Hall Prison in Hockley finally closes its doors this week.
At the moment nobody seems to know what will happen to the buildings and land….
Bullwood Hall Prison in Hockley finally closes its doors this week.
At the moment nobody seems to know what will happen to the buildings and land….
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As Bullwood Hall is now closed, why cant it become a tourist attraction. I know not the same sort of prison but we have not long been home from visiting San Fran Sisco and did the Alcatraz Tour, it was fantastic.
Frankly a better use would be as an alternative ( brown field) mass housing site to meet government quotas – rather than building on green belt/ farmland as they intend to do. But the government Inspector has already ignored this , it was one of the alternatives suggested in the Formal 3,000 word RAG Objection submission, wonder why !!!!!.
And if we are so pushed to meet housing needs then convert it into flats and so meet
Government quotas in double quick time – but you and I know this will become the next Shoebury Barracks style development adding to the quota numbers.
From the Echo on 30 December 2013
HOCKLEY’S Bullwood Hall former prison site is being offered to developers as land suitable for development as a housing estate.The Ministry of Justice, which closed the prison in March, has placed the 48-acre green belt site with international estate agent Jones Lang Lasalle, which is offering it as suitable for housing development or a care home.
Sixteen acres of the site is part of the protected Hockley Woods and a further 25 acres is farmland. Jones Lang Lasalle has already had discussions with Rochford Council about ways the site might be developed.
As a result, it has been agreed in principle only the 5.8-acres prison buildings complex would be developed,with surrounding woods and fields being safeguarded.
Rochford Council has already allocated land for 2,785 homes to be built across the district between now and 2025 in its Core Strategy planning document.
Any developmenton the Bullwood Hall site would be in addition to this.
Keith Hudson, councillor responsible for the Local Plan,tentatively welcomed the news,but suggested local roads would need to be improved before the could will allow any building work.
He said the council would be keen to buy the woodland part of the site and open it to the public.
Mr Hudson said he would be meeting with Justice Ministry officials next month and stressing the council’s interest in buying the woodland.
As I said over and above the required quotas – “planning” it is a joke.
And I hope Cllr Hudson is as keen to get London Rd/ Rawreth Lane
pre-sorted as he is the roads in his own backyard……
Absolutely right Jim, he has repeatedly ignored our pleas for infrastructure improvements before they start on “land to the north of London road”.
London road and rawreth lane are constantly nose to tail with nothing going anywhere fast. Oh well, back to work tomorrow and here we go again…….
#5 – do not despair, there are many aspects to be challenged , first at the ‘ so called Consultation phase’ then at the detailed ‘ planning Application phase’ , for a start –
Roads
Flood plain
Infrastructure
They have never had to contend with thousands of objections, keep watching.
Jim@4, I think Cllr Hudson must have been miss-quoted. Nothing is being done about roads in Hockley, culminating in the often promised Transport Assessment being buried. There is no favouritism here, unless you call blocking access to our doctors a positive change!
Brian at # 7 – do you have a HAG ( Hockley Action Group)?….JIM.
Jim, The Hockley Residents Association (HRA) has represented Hockley for 60 years and campaigned against the Core Strategy but was ignored. The problem is that every town/village in the District is fighting on a NIMBY basis, so for the council its easy – divide and conquer!
I’ve said it before but worth saying again, the threat of a bypass is is the big danger, because it will bring more housing if it happens. All groups need to wake up to that risk.
Brian – exactly why I asked the question, summed up by you perfectly.
The RDC area is only part of a bigger plan to concrete over the South East ( new Thames crossing/ Airport / Housing etc; ) and as you say divide and conquer.
If each Town/ Village action group or association could coordinate the opposition we
might get somewhere, the ‘ British Spring’ I’ve mentioned we need.
But realistically we need to somehow coordinate a local unification – Rayleigh/Rawreth/Hullbridge/Hockley/ Hawkwell ( +Wickford who share an MP with Rayleigh) …….. Is it possible?.
Lyn @5 and Brian @7 –
Looks like you are right, BBC Essex radio this morning! quoting Cllr Hudson on the
Bullwood Hall potential – apparently the proposed development is small and will not impact the local Infrastructure. That is presumably Council speak for we are not going to improve the roads………….HRA do your stuff!!!!!.