Response to Rochford District Council’s Public Consultation for a NEW Local Plan called Spatial Options

It is not possible to create a single overall response which can take into account the very wide distribution of specific sites across the whole district. There will be views for Hullbridge, Rochford, Wakering etc etc

The consultation is muddled.  It calls for views on Spatial Options but it confuses residents by also asking for their views on specific sites.

The number of questions being asked are far too extensive. Not only do they have to contend with the volume and complexity of the consultation but even ‘how to’ respond is not clear.

RDC should be challenging housing target like Southend and Basildon.  Castle Point has already done so over several years.

The RDC Consultation is without a Spatial Plan for South Essex from ASELA and a proper uptodate review of roads and highways by ECC.

All are anticipated soon.  So why now? Premature? Or biased already?

Without correct and up to date information on provision of infrastructure and what that could look like residents cannot make any informed decisions.

Southend’s idea of 7000 homes near Fossetts Farm which is on the edge of Rochford District with a new road was featured by Southend Borough Council but is not mentioned.

Without any idea of whether there can be new infrastructure gained and procured by influential organisations like ASELA which can access Government funding and likewise ECC our residents cannot form any view if the sites put forward very nearby to Fossetts could be joined with Southend and take 7000 from Southend and 3/4000 from Rochford District.  Or indeed any other Spatial Option.

With most of the sites put forward which are extensions of existing towns and villages having higher assessments because they are near existing infrastructure they look to be the most likely to be preferred whereas a Garden Village in the East with new infrastructure cannot be evaluated by residents for lack of information provided by RDC.

If this Public Consultation was outsourced then Councillors needed to have undertaken a critical assessment before it was launched because it is premature and should have been tackled in two parts; Spatial Options with full information on infrastructure and then by sites preferred by residents from the outcome of Spatial Options.

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