Countryside’s New Planning Application is Now On The Council Website!

The new planning application has just been validated and can be found on the District Council website by going here.
There is a LOT to study – we won’t comment further until we have done some reading!

15/00362/OUT
Parish: Rawreth Parish Council
Ward: Downhall And Rawreth

Proposal: Outline Planning Application (with all Matters Reserved) for the
erection of Residential Development with associated Open Space,
Landscaping, Parking, Servicing, Utilities, Footpath and Cycle
Links, Drainage and Infrastructure Works, and Primary School.
Provision of Non-Residential Floorspace to Part of Site, Uses
including any of the following: Use Class A1(Retail), A3(Food and
Drink), A4(Drinking Establishments), C2(Residential Institutions),
D1a(Health or Medical Centre) or D1b(Cr?che, Day Nursery or
Day Centre).
Location:Land North Of London Road And South Of Rawreth Lane And
West Of Rawreth Industrial Estate Rawreth Lane Rayleigh

Applicant:
Countryside Properties (UK) Ltd
C/O Agent
Agent:
Phase 2 Planning And Development Ltd
Mr Kevin Coleman
Majesty House
200 Avenue West
Skyline 120
Great Notley
Essex
CM77 7AA
Ward Cllr(s):Cllr. C.I. Black Cllr.R.A. Oatham

About the author, admin

  • Has anyone tried to drive from rawreth to the high street at 5 pm on a week day ? Have you ever tried to drive up crown hill on a Saturday ? Where is all this extra traffic going to go ? There are no go areas at certain times as it is …rawreth Lane between 5 and 6 pm another example. Unless you create another town centre this will make living in Rayleigh hell.

    • Sue, thank you for your heartfelt comments. You are obviously right about the traffic congestion in Rawreth Lane – and its equally bad in some other roads like London Road. Councillors, residents and indeed council officers should be doing their upmost to get the traffic situation improved. Councillors now have to be in ‘combat mode’ when looking at the expected appeal at the end of the year but we legally have to be in ‘impartial and undecided mode’ when looking at the new application , even though the basics are the same. In all this we now face 3 big problems:

      1) First of all, the District Council has already allocated the land for housing. This is something that opposition councillors including Ron Oatham and myself voted against, but the Conservative majority cheerfully pushed it through. This is something I feel rather bitter about. When West Rayleigh, Rawreth and Hullbridge needed help, not one Conservative councillor would stick their neck out and vote against the allocations document- or the whole core strategy to begin with. It was good when Rayleigh Conservative Councillors voted against that the actual outline planning application in January, but some earlier support would have been more helpful.

      2) Secondly, County Highways are fairly satisfied with the state of Rawreth Lane. Back in 2012 we wrote about why they didn’t think there was stationary traffic in the rush hour:
      https://www.onlinefocus.org/?p=11712

      “They check on the speed of traffic from TomToms satnav systems in cars. Information on the speed of cars with TomToms is fed straight to the County Control centre. To see why any delays occur, County Highways install temporary video cameras. So, far example, we saw on video the incident of the bus stopping for 4 minutes.

      We also found out that for the County Council, “stationary” means stopped for a whole 4 or 5 minutes without moving. So if you are going home along Rawreth Lane, and stop for two minutes at the Asda lights, two minutes at the Downhall Park Way lights, and two minutes at the mini-roundabout at the end, as far as the County Council are concerned, you really aren’t stationary at all! This explains a lot….”

      3) Thirdly, Countryside are claiming that the extra traffic from their development will only have a marginal effect on congestion. For the appeal, we have to find a way to challenge that.

  • Sue and every other person who cares about Rayleigh must take this last chance to formally object because otherwise it will go through ( unmodified ) this time , to avoid the Appeal costs and thus red faces in RDC Cabinet – we cannot stop it but we can get it improved :-

    1. The proposal is clear , it will be 2 – 5 years in before they implement any of the highway & junction “modifications” , so those road works will coincide with the peak construction traffic , not only to this Rawreth Site ( 500+ ) but the adjacent RIE conversion to ( 230 ) houses and of course a further (500+ ) at Hullbridge – all via Rawreth Lane / Hambro Corner / Hullbridge Road.The battle now is to get the “modifications” in place prior to any site construction start dates – that should be your objection basis.

    2. In fact the Transport Assessment that Countryside did ( in cahoots with ECC ) only covered 3 of the 5 inter-dependent roads that for the circuit which surrounds the two Rawreth sites , the Officers Report only states A1245 / Rawreth Lane / London Road , it does’n mention Down Hall Rd and Hullbridge Rd . Over and above that it does’nt even consider 5-10 years of construction traffic at all , and tha would radically impact their conclusions on junction queuing and above all RIght Hand turns accross traffic flows.

    Admin have established the link , please use it to get your voice heard on this and other subjects ( Flooding / Schools / Sport )….please.

  • The traffic in Rayleigh is already at saturation point. Just try it at peak school and working times. Plus all the flooding issues we have.
    Are there to be extra trains into London??? Lets all stand all the way to Liverpool Street and back, because that’s exactly what will happen.
    Of course the country needs new housing but you cannot add more to an area that is already at breaking point.

  • Do any of you live in Rayleigh? Have any of you tried to drive through Rayleigh at school drop off and from school pick up? if you have you will find out what a nightmare it is.
    Has any of you tried to get your child in any of the school’s in Rayleigh?
    I would think your answer would be NO.
    Rayleigh is a small town, our roads and schools can not cope with the new houses that have been built over the last 10 year’s.
    When Park school was closed, we heard it was going to be a 6th form school, but NO, it was sold off for houses to built.
    You are trying to squeeze a pint of water into a half pint glass.
    Instead of being greedy by selling off land, build new schools to accommodate the children and our future children!!!!!

  • Dear Admin,
    What is the quickest, simplest & most effective way of registering objections & concerns? We need to send them somewhere where they will be read & noted. Perhaps a copy to our MP might help to bring the views of a large number of local people to the attention of those who have the decision making powers? Won’t hold my breath that it will make any difference, but we have to try!
    On both Friday & Saturday there was a great deal of congestion in & around Rayleigh. High Rd, Eastwood Rd & Crown Hill being particularly affected. The traffic person on Essex Radio said that there was a build up of traffic in the town, & followed that with the comment that “it seems to be like that most days now”!
    We need to try & make sure that those who need to know see the congestion at school times, etc, & ask them just what they think is going to happen during the building, & on completion of, 1,000 plus homes! Nightmare!

  • Admin – this last link does’nt seem relevant ? , and how do you open the Application to read it – can we have an idiots guide to using the RDC planning site please……? Thanks – JIM.

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