This week’s ‘yellow list’ of planning applications is quite interesting – you can download it here (190k). The two applications in Downhall and Rawreth are recommended for refusal, six elsewhere in the district are recommended to be passed.
The following applications are recommended for REFUSAL by officers and will be refused unless a councillor calls them in:
Application No : 09/00640/FUL Zoning: Metropolitan Green Belt
Parish :Rayleigh Town Council Ward : Downhall And Rawreth
Location :Lubbards Lodge Farm Hullbridge Road Rayleigh
Proposal : Metal Storage Container for Storage of Child Car Seats
“The proposed storage container is to be used in connection with the In Car Safety Centre which is run by Essex County Council and is located within a unit just south of the proposed location for the storage container. The use of the unit by the In Car Safety Centre is subject to enforcement action (08/104/COU_C) with regard to the unauthorised change of use of redundant farm buildings. The use at this unit therefore does not have the necessary planning permission and consent has not been sought in attempt to regularise the use.”
– It’s recommended for refusal on Green Belt grounds.
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Application No : 09/00684/FUL Zoning: Residential and Green Belt
Parish : Rawreth Parish Council Ward : Downhall And Rawreth
Location : Site Of 120 And 122 Rawreth Lane Rayleigh
Proposal : Demolish Existing Dwelling and Commercial Premises and Construct Eight 2-bed Houses
Planning permission is sought to demolish the existing dwelling and commercial premises at the application site and erect 8, 2-bedroomed houses.
Recommended for refusal for 5 reasons – overdevelopment, cramped and sub-standard gardens ; unattractive flank wall, ; overlooking, inadequate parking ; partly in Green Belt.
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The following applications are recommended for APPROVAL by officers and will be passed unless a councillor calls them in:
Application No : 09/00676/FUL Zoning: Residential
Parish : Great Wakering Parish Council Ward : Foulness And Great Wakering
Location : 58 Alexandra Road Great Wakering Southend-On-Sea
Proposal : Demolish Existing Semi-Detached Bungalow and Construct a New Detached Pitched Roofed Two Bedroomed Chalet Style Bungalow with Parking to Front Driveway.
“It is considered that the proposed replacement dwelling would be significant improvement to the site, in comparison to what presently exists, and would provide a relatively affordable addition to the available housing stock in Great Wakering.”
– recommended for approval.
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Application No : 09/00701/COU Zoning: Employment Land
Parish : Rayleigh Town Council
Ward : Whitehouse
Location : 7 Totman Close Rayleigh
Proposal : Change of Use from Light Industrial Unit (B1) to Martial Arts Training School and Fitness Centre (D2)
“The application is for the change of use from a light industrial unit (Class B1) to a martial arts training school and one to one fitness centre (Class D2). The building is currently used as a workshop with one employee that is relocating to Maldon when the current lease expires in March 2010. The change in use would provide employment for 3 full time and 3 part time employees”
– recommended for approval
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Application No : 09/00728/LBC Zoning: Primary Shopping Frontage
Parish : Rayleigh Town Council
Ward : Wheatley
Location : 91 High Street Rayleigh [ “Yours” ,what used to be “Sansoms”]
Proposal : Remove Existing Plaque To Side And Provide New Plaque To Front
Rayleigh Town Council is applying to remove an existing heritage from the side of a building and provide a new plaque to the front of the building. The building is Grade II listed and believed to be the oldest secular building in the district….
…. The wording on the plaque would be as follows:
Oldest Secular Building
The South wing, where this plaque is located dates from circa 1350 and once would have included an open plan medieval hall. In the early 1900?s the building was called Commerce House from which Deveson?s the drapers traded in the last shop in Rayleigh to use an ?overhead wire railway? to the cashier. A corner of the building was let to Westminster Bank until they built new premises opposite. After Deveson?s it became the North Thames Gas Board showroom and offices. Boxers used the sports hall to the rear. One of these was Larry Gaines when preparing the Middleweight Championship of the British Empire against Len Harvey before the 2nd World War. Finally in 1988 Sansom?s the gentleman?s outfitters undertook a major internal refurbishment.
The Historic Buildings Adviser raises no objections to a plaque in principle but has raised concerns that the text is too long, has no bearing on the history of the building itself and is not justified to display on a listed building. The Adviser recommends the text be edited significantly and that the final wording and layout of the plaque be agreed before manufacture.
– recommended for approval, subject to agreement on wording.
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Application No : 09/00730/FUL Zoning: White Land
Parish : Rochford Parish Council
Ward : Rochford
Location : Unit 5 Airport Retail Park Rochford
Proposal : Erection of a Mezzanine Floor for Retail Purposes (737 sq.m)
“Planning permission is sought for a first floor mezzanine addition to unit 5 at the Airport Retail Park, Rochford Road”
– recommended for approval
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Application No : 09/00732/FUL Zoning: Residential
Parish : Ashingdon Parish Council
Ward : Ashingdon And Canewdon
Location : Luxway 29 Brays Lane Ashingdon
Proposal : Demolish Existing Bungalow and Garage and Construct One Detached Four Bedroomed House with Attached Garage
Planning permission is sought to demolish the existing bungalow and garage and construct one four bedroomed house with attached garage at 29 Brays Lane, Rochford.
– recommended for approval
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Application No : 09/00734/FUL Zoning: Residential
Parish : Rayleigh Town Council
Ward : Rayleigh Central
Location : 1 Warwick Close Rayleigh
Proposal : Construct Two x Three Bedroomed Detached Bungalows, Extend Existing Driveway.
“The site is located within an established residential area of Rayleigh. It is occupied by a bungalow which is situated adjacent to the eastern boundary. There is a grassed area to the side of the property approximately 25 metres in width and 41 metres in depth where the proposed development would take place. ….Each bungalow would have a gross internal floor area of 150m? and a private amenity area of 148m?.”
Whilst I appreciate it is often necessary for planning applications to be refused, I sincerely hope that the In Car Safety Centre at Lubards Lodge is granted some storage for the child car seats.
This is the only service of its kind in Essex and there is only one other in the country!
I hope the councillors and Rochford Planning Team realise how lucky we are to have such a dedicated team working to keep children safe in the Rochford district!
Hilary, when my kids were babies, there was one of these child seat safety centres in Benfleet, I believe it was situated at a council building/office. Did it relocate to Rayleigh? I never used it, because most shops that sell child seats will give advice and trial fit seats in your car anyway.
How does this unit differ from any of the other units on the site? All of the other businesses must be a change of use from original farm building use. And why aren’t Essex County Council aware of the required planning measures?
I would strongly agree with Hilary on this point. I have used the In Car safety centre many times and found it invaluable. The centre is tucked away behind other buildings and if more storage is required then the centre should be assisted in finding it.
I too used the centre when it was in Benfleet and found their advice invaluable. Shops are often interested in only offering advice on their favoured brands and the Safety Centre staff were totally impartial.
I do hope this application is allowed.
Hilary, ST1, Sarah, CCR – Essex CC doesn’t seem to be talking to Rochford DC about this, which surprises me. I have to be careful what I say here, because at some stage this could come to committee, but :
– if this application was for the re-use of a redundant farm building, then there’s a possibility of it being allowed , because we have planning policies that may allow this.
– however this application is for a storage container, an extra structure in the Green belt. If this was allowed, planners foresee that it would set a precedent for containers all over the Green Belt around here.
– the centre does indeed serve a useful purpose and I hope ECC and RDC can find a way forward on this.
– there may well be an application for the actual building (as opposed to the storage container) fairly soon.
Does that explain things a little?
Does this mean that all of the containers by the Swimming Tales car park will have to be removed as well?
Offhand, can’t tell you for sure . But the report states “It was noted on site that there are a significant number of metal storage containers located to the north western corner of the site. These containers are unauthorised and enforcement action is underway for the removal of these containers from the site. Further to the unauthorised containers there are a number of unauthorised uses occurring at the site which are also subject to enforcement case 08/00104/COU_C.” .
Nobody from the farm has contacted me on this….
Deadline for calling this in is 1 pm tomorrow (Weds).
ST1 – This is the same service that used to be in Benfleet, it was relocated to Rayleigh.
Whilst some shops do offer a fitting service I am not sure what training the staff have and they would only obviously try seats that they have in stock1 The In Car Safety Centre is totally unbiased as they do not sell any seats, they are there purely to check that the seats fit in the car safely.
None of these itesm were called in – so the first two are refused and the others are passed.