We’ve received the following from a new group of Hockley residents:
“Hockley Redevelopment Plans Rejected by Villagers
95% Reject Rochford District Council?s Hockley Area Action Plan Proposal…Hockley residents who responded to the Rochford District Council (RDC) consultation over its Hockley Area Action Plan (HAAP) gave it a resounding thumbs-down. Over 95% of the respondents explicitly said no to the plan as it stands.
Six ways to destroy the heart of a village…
RDC put forward six options including large scale redevelopment of the Village centre and surrounding area. This included the change of use of current brownfield land at Eldon Way to additional housing. This would displace the existing businesses, relocating them to what is currently green belt land.
Why are the locals so upset…
Anger at the way RDC managed the HAAP consultation phase led to an independent public meeting being held in Hockley on 19 April 2009. Here residents angrily voiced their concerns that RDC had failed to publicise the plan effectively, leaving them little time to respond to the formal consultation phase. Campaigners are convinced that many residents remain unaware of these plans.
Here?s why…
Concerns from residents included the need to retain the Village character, not add any additional stress to the local infrastructure or amenities (buses, medical facilities, shops, etc.) and the need to fundamentally engage with local residents to develop a suitable and widely acceptable solution for any future redevelopment.
Who built the ?HUT?…?
The meeting?s 400 strong attendees fully supported the formation of a new local interest group, the Hockley Under Threat Campaign (HUT), chaired by Ms Gabrielle Yeadell. This group?s aim is to increase public awareness of the HAAP, to engage them in understanding the contents and to work with other local organisations in making Hockley residents? opinions known to RDC.
Determining policy before consultation
It has now come to light that RDC has made amendments to its separate Core Strategy (CS) which effectively implements a large element of the HAAP proposal without any additional consultation (Eldon Way redevelopment into housing). These amendments to the CS are expected to be approved by RDC on 9 September 2009.
Outrage that RDC appear to be ignoring its own consultation results…
A spokesperson for the HUT Campaign revealed that they will be seeking to alert residents to the threat and to ensure that RDC takes due note of residents? views. They asked ?What is the point of having a consultation and then totally ignoring it? As a first step, we hope that RDC will urgently reconsider their Core Strategy plans!?
Read more…
Further information can be found via the HUT campaign website: http:\\www.hockleyunderthreat.com”
It would be interesting to see what alternative proposals for Hockley that this group has….