The Deadline Approaches

The consultation on the housing allocation ends on December 17th – so you still have time to respond via the council website here

A lot of familiar names from onlinefocus are not on the site yet … HAVE YOU COMMENTED YET?

Most of the objections so far have come from Hawkwell (often with the same wording). Here’s a thoughtful objection from one Hawkwell resident:

My wife and I and our families whom live in Hawkwell would strongly object to the above being approved by the council for the following reasons.

The traffic that passes through Main Road Hawkwell in the mornings and evening is at saturation point, we unable to get in and out of our drive way without having to wait up to five minutes, and then when can get out it is very risky, due to the fact that you have to take your life in your own hands because the traffic is nose to tail.

There will also be a heavy volume of construction traffic on our road, plus the fact that if the proposals goes ahead we will have all the additional cars and delivery vans passing through Main Road.

The local infrastructure is not capable of coping with this proposal (i.e. – Schools, Doctors, Sporting & Recreation, Bus services, Policing, and Wear & Tear on existing roads).

But not everyone in Hawkwell is objecting outright:

I was present at the above meeting last Thursday, and this is my opinion of the meeting:- Mr Mason said that every person there was objecting to the proposed planning, this I feel was not true, as probably 50% in attendance were there to be updated on what was happening in the area.

The lady who spoke on the subject about appointments at the local Doctors surgeries was also wrong, I use the Jones surgery and if one phones between 8am until 9-30am one can get same day appointment.

I was born in Hawkwell, and am 71 years old, also my parents- grand parents were born here, and they have taken up residents in Hawkwell churchyard.

Hawkwell I feel started to go down hill in the 1960s, but we must live and let live, the area that is being highlighted for expansion is ideal I feel, as it is a contained area so that there is not any chance of expanding, being hemmed in by Clements hall sports centre, and open space where there is plenty of recreation space for walking, cycling ETC, on the other side of the area there’s Spencer’s Estate, then behind the existing properties leading round to Rectory Road, this is why I feel this is the correct place to build, and of course if any persons wish to go into the Hockley wood area just walk up through Gusted Hall Lane, or Mount Bovers Lane past Belchams Scout camp.

I would appose any planning submitted for building on open farm land, also I also thought that it was unnecessary to remove the old Hawkwell school, this I feel was a bit of history, and could have been used as a library or such like. My son and daughter live in the area, also have grandchildren who will be needing housing themselves in the near future.

Here’s another interseting comment from a medical perspective:

I am sending this email as I cannot believe that the proposal for 1700 new homes for Hockey and a total of 3500 across the disrtrict can really be considered as a serious proposition.

I am a senior nurse at Southend hospital and heavily involved in discharging patients
from hospital. This is increasingly difficult as resources in community services are becoming scarcer and each day we are struggling to make room in the hospital for patients to be admitted for booked surgery and also emergency treatment. This is day in and day out.

We have also seen a huge increase in private retirement flats here which attract elderly people to the area, but very often when the resident comes into hospital they cannot return if they need any form of care as the management companies do not allow key safes or carers etc. This is -and will -put a huge strain on medical and social services.

As far as I am aware there are no plans to provide addidional medical and social services for all these extra homes and people.

Also I have noticed that driving to the hospital each day takes longer over the last few months due to the volume of traffic through Hockley. It is constant nose to tail and very difficult to get out on to a main road. This is about 7.30 am so I expect that gets even worse a little later. As the plans are to reduce public transport availability too misery on the local roads is likely to increase.

We have lived in Hockley since 1985 and had intended to stay here through our retirement but recent developments and proposed developments(above and including airport plans) are certainly making us reconsider. We feel we pay a large amount in council tax and little thought is being given to the impact of these huge number of additional homes will have on a already overcrowded area. It all smacks of greediness as little social housing is being provided anywhere.

I hope those who are invilved in considering and rejecting or approving these plans have really thought through what this will mean for the area and each individual and are prepared to take the consequences at elections.

And finally here’s one from Rayleigh:

South West Rayleigh cannot accommodate 100 homes without irreparable harm to the landscape as viewed from the West and North, the land at the rear of Spring Gardens is partcularly visible as part of the hilly ridge, and should only be developed at the Poyntens end of the site, where it is in the lee of high ground.
The land north of London Road is also of some landscape value, and I can only hope it does not infer the land up to Rawreth Hall, which would be an environmental disaster.Whatever happened to green belt, or is it a moveable feast?.

About the author, admin

  • Certainly South West Rayleigh cannot and should not accomodate any more housing . The area backing onto Spring Gardens , towards Great Wheatleys is an important area of Green Belt that provides a vital gap in development between Rayleigh and the A127 – Development here would take development up to the road . Access is also a major problem as the roads leading off from Love Lane are small and residential . They certainly cannot accomodate such an increase in volume .

    The field at the end of Poyntens provides a vital green area close to the centre of the town . A development on this scale would totally destroy the character of the area.

    We also have conserved areas such as Kingsley Wood in close proximity so would be interested in hearing how any development impinges on this conservation area.

    I would like, therefore, to lodge my and my families objection to any such large scale development.

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