Rochford District NEW Local Plan 2017 – 2037
December 3, 2017 by Editor · Leave a Comment
IF YOU WISH TO HELP JUST CONTACT US here.
A NEW LOCAL PLAN FACEBOOK GROUP is here.
As many residents will already know Rochford District Council is about to launch a public consultation on a SECOND Local Plan for 2017 to 2037 focusing on a maximum of ANOTHER 7500 dwellings. With the FIRST local Plan 2011 to 2025 came committed approval for 2785 dwellings so together this makes over 10,000 !!
Is Our Green Belt Safe under our Council?
September 14, 2016 by Editor · Leave a Comment
http://www.cprelondon.org.uk/resources/item/2339-safe-under-us
THIS IS ABOUT ROCHFORD DISTRICT and we provided a contribution to this report which will be “news” for everyone who is concerned about the further loss of Green Belt in our revised Local Plan where there is a Council public consultation running at this moment.
This is what the Council has not told you.
There are some scary numbers coming forward as evidence from consultants such as 392pa instead of 250pa over the district. That COULD mean another 4000 over the existing building target of 2785!
NEW THREATS TO THE GREEN BELT OF ROCHFORD DISTRICT
July 8, 2016 by Editor · Leave a Comment
NEW THREATS TO THE GREEN BELT OF ROCHFORD DISTRICT
Rochford District Council is holding a number of community engagement workshops this summer to give local people a say on planning matters. These will be interactive events and a chance for residents, businesses and the local parish council to feed information into the Local Plan process. The new Local Plan is a document which will set the strategy for future development of the District beyond 2025 (which is when the current plan finishes).The workshops will include a ‘walkabout’ in the villages in order to identify the needs of the community, local issues and opportunities for growth and development.
an important document on future housing numbers not been published
May 3, 2016 by Editor · Leave a Comment
Why has an important document on future housing numbers not been published even though the target date was December 2015? No explanation has been given to Members of the Rochford District Council who have asked via the Review Committee.
I think that you might know the answer…………Elections??
Basildon Council has been forced to do so because it is in a public consultation on its Core Strategy.
Castle Point is also in consultations but it has not been published (and CP is in charge of the project for all of our local councils).
A total of 275,000 homes are now planned for England’s green belt
April 25, 2016 by Editor · Leave a Comment
This new report from the CPRE has a map showing all the local authorities planning to release green belt.
http://www.cpre.org.uk/resources/housing-and-planning/green-belts/item/download/4485
A total of 275,000 homes are now planned for England’s green belt – an increase of nearly 200,000 since 2012, according to research by countryside campaigners.
This map alone says everything that residents have been concerned about ever since the Core Strategy was adopted in 2011.
And now we have the Revision of the Core Strategy for an unspecified extra number.
Independent Candidates – Rochford District Council Elections – 7 May 2015
April 13, 2015 by Editor · Leave a Comment
Rochfor
d District Residents has 8 candidates;
Hawkwell West – Christine Mason
Hawkwell South – Phil Capon
Hawkwell North – Elliot Mason
Ashingdon & Canewdon – Tracy Capon
Sweyne Park – Toby Mountain
Grange – Peter Scott
Lodge – Richard Lambourne
Hockley Central – Irena Cassar
Residents and Independent Candidates for Rochford District Residents are not associated with any of the national political parties and if elected will represent ALL residents irrespective of political allegiance on the local matters that affect us all.
The common ground between ALL Independent Candidates standing for Rochford District Residents in the Local Election on 7 May is as follows;
Nothing can now change the loss of Green Belt
October 6, 2014 by Editor · Leave a Comment
JuergenGER / Pixabay
Our Local Conservative Councillors have been telling residents for years that they have to remove Green Belt protection when drawing up their Local Plans, in order to meet [housing] demand.
Conservative Government Minister Eric Pickles has now stepped in to say that the Government did not require this and the move will be seen as a pre-election pitch by the Conservatives to win round rural Tory supporters who are furious about new development.
“Nothing can now change the loss of Green Belt in Hawkwell, Ashingdon and Rochford for 1000 houses where it has not been proven that these are required to meet local housing needs” said Residents Councillors John and Christine Mason.
Official in the ECHO ‘You don’t have to build on green belt’
September 4, 2014 by Editor · Leave a Comment
Well worth reading what the Government Planning Inspector said about Green Belt which goes against the edict which has been put out by RDC for years !!
Michael Hoy and I put forward a Motion to say that housing numbers must be assessed on LOCAL NEEDS years ago and the Tories were scathing in their rejection. But now they say that local needs are the key !!
Rochford Core Strategy – The Allocations of Sites DPD & Hockley Area Action Plan (HAAP)
October 18, 2013 by Editor · Leave a Comment
The Allocations of Sites DPD & Hockley Area Action Plan
The Inspector’s Interim Letters were published on the Council’s Web site this morning, 18 October.
http://www.rochford.gov.uk/
http://www.rochford.gov.uk/
Strategic Planning at Castle Point in a Spin
September 29, 2013 by Editor · 2 Comments
Councillors are saying “We do not want Castle Point to be turned into a concrete jungle, but don’t know how to stop it !!”
“The Government wants to see more development in South Essex and has got us over a barrel.”
What do outsiders think?
It seems surprising that Castle Point Councillors have chosen to question the Conservative led Government especially when the Council has a Conservative Administration.
One wonders what they expect to achieve because most District Councils are managing to avoid a clash with Government by putting house building plans in place to avoid planning powers being effectively taken away from the Council.
Tree Preservation Orders – Do they work?
September 1, 2013 by Editor · Leave a Comment
Written and edited by Christine and John Mason
A Tree Preservation Order (TPO) is an Order made by a Council in respect of a tree(s) because the tree is considered to bring amenity value to the surrounding area. The Order makes it an offence to cut down, uproot, prune, lop or damage the tree in question without first obtaining the Council’s consent. A TPO can apply to a single tree, a group of trees or woodland.
Often such Orders are stimulated by planning applications when local concern is focused on an area under threat of change.
Rochford Core Strategy Costs Already at £2.1 Million
£2.1 million of Public money has been poured into R&D costs of Developers which they do not pay for.
You did !!
Surely the Coalition Government should have found some sort of mechanism for this public money to be recouped from the profits made by each developer?
Rochford District Council has spent £2.1m plus over the past 7 years to April 2013 on the Core Strategy.
Within that £350,000 to Consultants.
£1 million came from Council Tax and £1.1 million from Government Grants making £2.1 million overall.
All money paid by you in Taxes.
An Interview With The Rochford Life Magazine – John & Christine Mason
May 1, 2013 by Editor · Leave a Comment
An Interview with “Rochford Life Magazine” fb.me/1l4Ptqzis
— John Mason (@jmasonhawkwell) May 1, 2013
Planning Problems
The Christmas Tree Farm Development, is now renamed Clements Gate, off Thorpe Road and Clements Hall Way, Hawkwell.
Before the vote in September 2012 on whether to grant planning permission, Ward Councillor John Mason had an Officer read aloud from one of the planning application documents submitted by Barratts/DWH.Two of the items read out related to days and hours of working and construction access as these issues had created the greatest concern and distress to residents. This was done before the Application was voted on.
There was to be no Sunday Working.
Hawkwell Neighbourhood Plan – Better Late Than Never?
January 19, 2013 by Editor · Leave a Comment
Christine and I went to a Hawkwell Parish Council Meeting in August 2011 to explain that the findings of the Hawkwell Parish Plan could be taken forward by Hawkwell Parish Council in the form of a Neighbourhood Plan (“NP”).
All of this is about more houses for Hawkwell and the views residents made clear in the Survey ” residents do not want to see any further development and loss of green belt”.
Despair in Hullbridge Against the Imposition of 500 Houses
January 4, 2013 by Editor · 2 Comments
Christine and I went to the Hullbridge Community Centre last night, 3 January, to demonstrate our support to the residents of Hullbridge and District Councillors Michael and Diane Hoy (The Green Party). We also wondered if we would find any “magic bullets” in Hullbridge which could be of benefit to nearby Hockley who we are supporting in their objection to the Hockley Area Action Plan otherwise known as the “HAAP”.
Revision of the Rochford Core Strategy – How many more in Hawkwell?
So how many more for the Rochford District and our Ward, Hawkwell West?
In Hawkwell West we already have 176 approved which is an increase of over 10% of our housing stock in a relatively small area.
Read on………………..we will explain.
Background
The Core Strategy (CS) was adopted in December 2011 for delivery of 250 new dwellings per year over the years to 2025.
The Government Planning Inspector required Rochford District Council to undertake a revision or review of the Core Strategy to take into account a shorthfall in target numbers and years together with compliance with Government policy called the The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the housing building policy “Planning for Growth”.
Further Public Consultation on the Core Strategy
January 1, 2013 by Editor · Leave a Comment
Happy New Year 2013.
This brings a further opportunity for residents to comment on the Rochford Core Strategy. This ends on 25 January 2013.
We have already raised our concerns about the Hockley Area Action Plan (HAAP) and now we turn to the Allocations Submission Document.
http://rochford.jdi-consult.net/ldf/readdoc.php?docid=178
With planning permission having already been given for a new 176 dwelling estate in Hawkwell, despite huge objection by residents, residents groups and your two Independent District Councillors, you might think that this is the time for “no comment” from Hawkwell.
Another View – What Could Really Happen to Our Green Belt?
November 2, 2012 by Editor · Leave a Comment
The Liberal Democrat Group in Rochford has published an interesting article called “What Could Really Happen In Our Green Belt” at http://onlinefocus.org/?p=11420 “OnlineFOCUS – News and Stuff For Rochford District”.
OnlineFOCUS said that the latest new housing allocation document says these are only minimum figures, the Council may allow more housing if required to meet our Five Year Housing Supply. The five year supply is a rolling figure (5 X 250 houses per year) that is assessed and the result published annually each December. OnlineFOCUS concluded that if houses don’t get built in one Preferred Location they may get built in another!
The David Wilson Homes Development in Hawkwell
By Councillor Christine Mason
For the last few years Hawkwell West has had the uncertainty created by the David Wilson Homes application to build a new estate in our midst, on land confusingly called South Hawkwell (and not Hawkwell West as it should be) by Rochford District Council. For those residents who attended last week’s Development Committee (and for those that were unable to do so) on 27 September, there were heated exchanges and contradictions that centred around the Public Open Space therefore I thought we should explain the importance of this relatively small but vital part of the development.
