(click on each image to enlarge)
We?ve been pretty successful in opposing the District Council?s original idea of 1800 -2000 more houses in Rayleigh – that number is now cut to 770. But things still aren?t OK yet.
The council plans to build 220 homes where Rawreth Industrial Estate is, and create new employment land elsewhere. That seems reasonable. But they also plan 550 homes on land ?North of London Road?, which means somewhere between London Road, Rawreth Lane, and the old A130. We are very concerned that once builders encroach on any of that farmland, they won?t stop until it?s all built on.
The council has now published some detailed proposals for West Rayleigh/Rawreth, including 5 possible sites for the 550 houses, different possible sites to replace the Industrial Estate, and 2 possible sites in this area for travellers. We?ve prepared the sketch map to try to explain things.
We say:
Using the Rawreth Industrial Estate for housing is probably OK if the businesses there are treated properly.
The green fields between London Road and Rawreth Lane should be left alone. NO houses, NO employment land, NO traveller sites there!
The previously used land on the A1245 is a better choice for housing (see the top of the map).
A good place for a new industrial site is at the junction of the A1245 and the A127 (bottom left corner of the map).
For the travellers, there are some very small sites spread across the district that could be used instead if necessary.
Residents have the legal right to object ? but it?s been difficult to do so, because the council?s website is tricky to use. However we have now got the agreement of the council that you can object by email . But time is very limited ? objections have to be in by April 30th.
If you can, please send the council your comments:
either on the district council website at http://rochford.jdi-consult.net/ldf/
or email the council at planning.policy@rochford.gov.uk (include your name and address)
Do this before April 30th !
The council?s housing options are labelled NLR1 to NLR5. If you wish, you could say that you object to options NLR1, NLR2, NLR3, NLR4 and NLR5 because they will:
cause an unnecessary loss of agricultural land,
will increase traffic,
will create an green belt boundary that can?t be defended in future
and encourage a merging between Rayleigh and Rawreth.
You can also object to the traveller sites and the employment land.
The traveller options for this land are all for small-scale sites – options GT1, GT2, and GT3 .
The building on the present industrial sites and the E.ON site is surely an ill conceived idea.
Are we to have no industry of various guises in Rayleigh available to to our younger workforce, or any age come to that.Will the going concerns be relocated which begs the question why is it necessary to shift them….The price of fuels is only going to continue upwards , local employment is an obvious answer.
The Eon situation is pretty unclear at the moment.
As for the Rawreth Industrial Estate, it’s not the most modern of settings, and if we are planning for the next decade ot two, let’s plan for the future. A new site at Fairglen could produce more employment in the long run, while nallowing the existing site to be used for housing.
NLR1 : Edited comment = A really attractive proposition with a chain of high tension electricity pylons running through the middle of the new estate. Has nobody heard of the dangers of HT lines adjacent to housing?
NLR2: Better than NLR 1 – this must have needed a lot of imagination to draw this picture and will surely lead to even more congestion on the London Rd
NLR3: The least unacceptable proposition. This will exacerbate the already dense traffic problems in the London Road.
NLR4: This traffic will help Rawreth Lane no end. What a disaster!
NLR5: A quick and easy way to muck up traffic in Rawreth Lane and London Rd. Full marks.
My relatives who are considering a move down here once they have had their baby in 8 months time would be overwhelmed in living in a new housing estate as it would instantly make them feel like part of the community.
DPW resident: Yes, I think Downhall Park Way has been a success. I remember about 25 years ago a resident in Downhall Road saying gloomily to me ‘slums of the future!’ but it certainly hasn’t turned out like that! It was reasonably well planned and of course has Sweyne Park.
Since then we have seen clumsy planning mistakes happen elsewhere – for example the District Council approved the width of Priory Chase before knowing what was being built next to it.
A planning inspector has already approved the principle of 550 houses ‘North of London Road’, but that still means we have to work to create the best design and environment we can there.