It’s not that easy to navigate around the council website, but if you go here:
http://maps.rochford.gov.uk/DevelopmentControl.aspx?RequestType=ParseTemplate&Template=DevelopmentControlSearch.tmplt
And then search for “London Road” , you will get to Counntyside’s application for about 500 homes North of London Road”.
Then click on “plans and comments” and then “view associated documents” – you have then got to people’s objections and comments.
One notable objection has been put on there today October 20th- a 4 page objection from Mark Francois MP. His key reasons can be summarised as:
We are still reading through other comments and objections….
Must be an election looming
Oh how very dare you – the man has obviously been reading all our comments on here and taken them to heart , watch out for an article ( and photo opportunity ) in
the local papers coming soon ????.
Oh Richard you cynic!
Perhaps he finally got round to reading all the letters sent by his various constituents
Am I permitted to say isn’t this just too little too late from someone who hasn’t lifted a finger to help our campaign but has sat on his hands whilst he mates on RDC made the decisions. Perhaps the electorate will recall he failed to support us at the Inspectors hearing. A little bird told me he is very nervous of the effect all the objections might have on his majority next year. I wonder if he would agree to fund the legal case I am fronting from his huge £100,000 plus Ministerial salary if he is truly concerned for this district? Come on Mr Francois what do you say to that?
He has had concerns about infrastructure for at least the 10 years I have been dealing with him. I first met him at an event at the Hullbridge community centre and I recall him mentioning at that time.
Way too late Mr Francios.. surely this land she be kept to help feed the country with the crops is produces?… I feel there is still support from our MP for this development albeit the odd token reason for objection.. i would have rather have seen his reasons for objection on the grounds of ‘we need this land to grow food to feed ourselves’.
No vote from me next time round.
@ 5 – well 10 years is enough time to have done something about it……????
Any attempts by Mark Francois to improve the situation would have been boosted 10 fold if there had been even just one Tory councillor who had been willing to break ranks and vote with us on this issue over the last 5 or 6 years.
In fact there was precious little help from any political party in the crucial years between 2008 and 2012 except for (in alphabetical order) the Greens, the Lib Dems, and the Rochford Residents Party. Looking outside political parties, Rawreth Parish Council have made strenuous efforts and I remember the Louis Drive Residents arranging a public meeting.
Well Angelina @5..why not cite an example where his “concerns” have translated into an actual action
Don’t be fooled! He knows he can object and win over some naïve voters, whilst development will continue to go ahead, backed by his band of merry men – the Conservative District Councillors who were elected by us, to serve us! Mr Francois and all of those councillors should be ashamed of themselves. They run this District for nothing more than their own personal gain and interest. I hope they all get wiped out at next years election and we can get a bit of democracy back in Rochford. My fear is he will still be elected as there are too many people who profited under a Thatcher government (and I have no issue with that) who now live a comfortable lifestyle and thank the Conservatives for that.
Chris. Your comments are all true. At last years hearing one local Tory Councillor, sitting listening, was heard to say to a female companion “I think there is more to this than I realised. I wasn’t aware of all these issues, no one mentioned that when we voted”. Frankly the ‘followers’, not those making the decisions, have simply not been up to the job. They were out of their depth and voting when instructed, the way required, by the ‘big boys’ after Council Officers made their pitch ‘with all bells and whistles’ in favour of the many ‘schemes’ they put together for the Local Plan. How much ‘influence’ was exerted by known developers is a question that requires answering. Like I have been saying from last July to now ‘we need an enquiry into the whole saga from the very beginning”. This should go back even before the ‘call for sites’ fiasco to the re-grading of farmland , the registering of the sports fields without full supporting historical documentation from purchase, the methods used to dismiss viable ‘brown field’ and ‘de-graded greenfield’ sites so that the resulting reduced ‘farmland greenbelt’ options were the only way forward. We must be told why a secrecy clause was suddenly inserted into the SHLAA (Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment) 2012 (2.19 & 2.20). Who was being protected from being identified? If you want to build one house your name and details are publicly available.
Christine@ @3
cynic maybe, but I think he has noticed that UKIP have taken over parts of his constituency both in Rayleigh but in Wickford as well, so maybe he needs to become a bit more aware of the concerns of the people.
I for one have made him fully aware of my views particularily on infrastructure and loss of green belt, it is a shame he hasnt been as pro-active as Rebecca Harris in Castle Point in championing these issues
Admin – as you have quoted the MF objection , you might want to quote the objection from the RTSSC ( fighting talk ) now they have found the stomach for a fight.
Although obviously sceptical about MF ‘s motives , it is now gathering momentum –
Rawreth Parish Council – against
Rayleigh Town Council – against
MP – against
Ward Councillors – against ( if they were free to say so )
West Rayleigh residents against
If they now simply ignore that then ( having played by the rules so far ) it is time for
Class Action by the residents – Billericay did , they turned out in the hundreds and it
got binned……….
Then again….this may be his plan. If he knows development wont go ahead, as it’s so unpopular, he’ll speak up only now, to say he objects.. and then take the credit for getting it stopped ! And again, win over naïve voters.
Jim @ 13. , that’s the next one to write about. But I,m just back from serious dental work, so it might not be today…
I wonder what could have woken up our invisible MP, look, he’s at it again. He will wear himself out poor thing…
http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/11547179.Rayleigh_and_Wickford_MP_pledges_support_for_Europe_referendum/
Sadly one mans voice seems to carry, or people posting think it will, carry more weight than that of anyone else. I would like to think my concerns, Linda’s and Jim’s etc would be viewed with equal weight. After all the conservative party did put forward the concept of localism.
James – beyond our own ‘local event’ I think there is now a dawning by the public at large ( as to the political class ) and there will be some major surprises at the next election . Yes he will hang on to the dyed in the wool / vested interest vote but the majority of fluid vote will go elsewhere.
The Mighty Oz.@ 16. Re.The article in the Echo. Some people have very short memories. Mark Francois MP, in October 2011, was a Government Whip, busy climbing the greasy pole of political preferment, when he voted with the Government to deny the electorate a Referendum on the EU in 2013. I sat in the Strangers gallery in the House of Commons throughout that long debate and watched some men and women of honour trying to uphold the principals of democracy, some blighting their Parliamentary career in the process, speaking for the right of our nation to decide if we want to be part of a Federation of European States. Not to be forced to vote either way but to have that right of self-determination that generations of our people have fought to secure. I watched as 600 plus Members of Parliament emerged from all quarters of the Houses of Parliament to vote in the lobbies to prevent that occurring. Mark Francois would have been actively encouraging his Party Members to vote against the motion that would have led to a referendum. 81 Tory MP’s bravely defied him and his fellow Whips but the vote was lost. As I left Westminster on that wet October night I remarked to the heavily armed police officer on duty that he would do well to go home and take care of his children because there was nothing left in that building worth protecting after that disgraceful display of contempt of the people that had taken place. Now our ‘great leader’ finds it prudent to declare his wish for consultation of the people. You might have a view of what I might think of that.
Linda – that of course was after he had been out in the High Street collecting signatures on a pro-referendum platform when the Tories were in opposition. In a way that encapsulates why we don’t get a better class of MP these days. The vast majority of people don’t have views that are that fluid, or beliefs that they are prepared to abandon when ordered to do so.
Does our MP read this site ? If so Mr Francois would you please respond to the above comments from your constituents. You know, the people you are paid to represent.
Some Conservative councillors have a quiet read, but we don’t know if either of our district’s MPs do.
Admin – any sign of a date for the Planning Committee Review yet , it was muted as Oct/Nov , or are they now waiting for the ruling from the High Court ?. It is important the public get an early warning of the date – we need to mobilise the 5000 residents of West rayleigh to attend.
Probably January. There are lots of important issues to be examined with this application, it will take a while to assess the information and prepare the office Rs report.
Or they are waiting for the court ruling ( and hopefully the current traffic surveys )……
Ref: my point in post #2 above – MF article and photo in today’s Rayleigh Essex page,
even he has recognised the strength of feeling against over-development and an opportunity to court some votes.
If memory serves me correctly the Hawkwell Development had been Refused planning permission prior to the 2011 Local Elections during which I recall there were ambiguous promises made in some leaflets about the future (and actually scribbled on leaflets according to some residents!!). But it was passed later of course.
ADMIN @ 15 – can we get the RTSSC objection on here please…..?
Yes, you are right Jim, should have done it by now, sorry. The “view planning applications” pages of the council website seems to be down at the moment, will access it when I can.