In addition to building houses on the industrial estate in the centre of Hockley, the District Council is proposing to build 50 houses in “West Hockley”. Even though this is a small number compared with other parts of the district, the council has come up with 5 options,
(The green areas are for “Residential, incorporating provision for public open space and play space”)
“Option WH1: The site is currently disused agricultural land, and is north of
residential development at Folly Chase. To the far east of the site is a school
and community centre, with the London Southend rail line to the north,
containing the site. The site is bounded to the north, north east and west by a
wooded area, and to the east by agricultural fields, the impact on which would
need to be carefully assessed. This would however provide a defensible
green belt boundary. There are no visible man made structures or pylons on
the site.
The location of the site with regard to impact on surrounding roads
needs to be assessed ?improvements will be needed to cope with the
increase in traffic, although the number of dwellings the site has capacity for
should provide this.
The Core Strategy Submission Document states that the
infrastructure required to be implemented alongside this site are: Local
highway capacity and infrastructure improvements, public transport service
and infrastructure enhancements, links and enhancements to pedestrian,
cycling and bridleway networks, and Sustainable Drainage Systems. The site
would afford good opportunities for the creation of a strong defensible green
belt boundary.”
“Option WH2 is currently used as a mushroom farm and for light industry just
north of Folly Lane. Allocating this site for residential development would
maintain the sanctity of the Green Belt as the site is Previously Developed
Land. Infrastructure required from this site as stated within the Core Strategy
Submission Document is: Local highway capacity and infrastructure
improvements, public transport service and infrastructure enhancements, links
and enhancements to pedestrian, cycling and bridleway networks, and
Sustainable Drainage Systems, all of which are viable. The site is well
located in terms of the transport network and the existing defensible Green
Belt boundary would not be broached.”
“Option WH3 is as WH1 although it follows the pattern of the existing
residential dwellings and does not extend as far north, thus minimising any
impact on the wooded area north and north east of the site. The creation of a
defensible green belt boundary at this site would be difficult however.”
“Option WH4 is as WH1 except to the east of Folly Chase as opposed to the
north. The site is located directly north of Folly Wood, and is also adjacent to
the school and its accompanying land. The impact of any development on
these two sites must be carefully considered. The creation of a defensible
green belt boundary at this site would be complicated however.”
“Option WH5 is as WH2 with an extension to the west of the site. This land is
currently Green Belt but would provide a defensible boundary up to Church
Road, and potentially provide additional access to the site.”
First thoughts?
Not a lot of houses, I know,but Folly Lane is a really dangerous road with S Bends and a lot of horse riders.
Admin: will you be posting something on the new sites proposed for Travellers?
Folly Lane is certainly a winding road – how would the traffic to 50 houses compare with vehicles to the mushroom farm?
And yes, we will be doing lots of stuff on here this week including travellers…. give us two or three days.
Please remember that an additional 150 dwellings are proposed in Hockley at the Eldon Way Industrial Site. So Hockley get 200.
….and the businesses at Eldon Way move to the proposed Southend Airport business park, meaning some of the promised “new” jobs are not really new?
Admin – fair point. My guess would be more movements but smaller vehicles. In addition, I wonder if Folly lane will see extra vehicles coming from the 600 houses to be built in Rochford (not Ashingdon as stated) at the north end of Rectory Road and trying to move westwards? The Core Strategy will result in 1,375 extra houses on/around Rectory Road with its existing bottlenecks at the railway bridge and B1013 junction. All the extra traffic has to go somewhere – may be it will join the extra traffic in Rawreth/Rayleigh?
ST1 – I know where you’re coming from and am certainly not going to get invloved in a ‘pros and cons of the airport expansion’ argument but surely relocated jobs are better than lost jobs…
TVOR – why would any jobs be lost? It is only RDC who are trying to close the industrial estate down. Its trading quite nicely at present and some of its occupants are location specific (eg would the bowling alley, gym, kids playground, youth club move out of a town centre environment?).
I would suggest that closing Eldon way will endanger move jobs than it ‘saves’!
I see in the Echo that the Government just approved the airport expansion plans. No suprise given they’ve been building the new station for some time.
Personally I think it’s a bad idea, and have yet to see any argument to convince me otherwise. I suppose we just sit back and await the fall-out.