(8) Characteristics, Issues and Opportunities

The District of Rochford is situated within a peninsula between the Rivers Thames and Crouch, and is bounded to the east by the North Sea. The District has land boundaries with Basildon and Castle Point District and Southend-on-Sea Borough Councils. It also has marine boundaries with Maldon and Chelmsford Districts. The District has linkages to the M25 via the A127 and the A13 and direct rail links to London.

The Rochford District covers an area of 65 square miles. It is rich in heritage and natural beauty, with many miles of unspoilt coastline and attractive countryside. There are more than 200 sites of archaeological interest, 14 ancient woodlands and several nature reserves across the District.

The District is predominantly rural, which is reflected in the fact that 12,763 hectares are designated as Metropolitan Green Belt. Large areas of the District are of ecological importance, with Sites of Special Scientific Interest totally 12,986 hectares.

Environment

The landscape of the character of the District has been broadly identified as being made up of three types: Crouch and Roach Farmland; Dengie and Foulness Coastal; and South Essex Coastal Towns. The latter of these three is least sensitive to development.

The character of the District is split, with a clear east-west divide. Areas at risk of flooding and of ecological importance are predominantly situated in the sparsely populated, relatively inaccessible east. The west of the District contains the majority of the District's population, has better access to services and fewer physical constraints.

Issues and Opportunities

Locations for development are limited by physical constraints, including land at risk of flooding, areas protected for their landscape value, sites protected for their ecological value etc. Some such areas are of local, regional, national and international importance, including those protected by the EU Habitats Directive.

7,071 hectares of the Rochford District have a 1% annual probability of fluvial flooding and / or a 0.5% annual probability of tidal flooding, as calculated by the Environment Agency.

The District contains a number of Conservation Areas which will continue to evolve and develop over time. It is crucial that any change is managed to preserve the unique character of such areas, whilst allowing them to adapt to change.

Large areas of open space are located in proximity to the main settlements, providing the potential for recreational opportunities to be created if such spaces are linked to areas of residence. The Upper Roach Valley provides a particular opportunity.

The western area of the District contains areas of ecological and landscape importance, most noticeably the Upper Roach Valley and Hockley Woods which have the potential to provide high quality open space accessible to local people.

The physical geography of the District gives rise to the potential to explore opportunities to promote tourism. The potential impact of such tourism on the environment must be carefully considered.

The Wallasea Island Wild Coast project, adjacent to the realigned coast of Wallasea Island, represents a particular tourism opportunity - one which will have to be carefully managed given the areas ecological importance.

Population

The last Census in 2001 recorded the District as having a population of 78,489. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates that the population of the District in 2008 is 81,700, and projects that this will rise to 87,000 by 2021.

Rochford District is home to a relatively large number of families, raising the average household size. This is particularly the case in the western part of the District, perhaps indicating that the higher levels of in-migration in these parts are due to parents seeking the quality of life and prosperity needed to support families.

Issues and Opportunities

Rochford District has a higher proportion of older residents than the national and regional averages. The under-20 population of the District is expected to fall between 2008 and 2021, with the population of those aged 20 to 64 remaining relatively stable. The over-65 population is expected to increase considerably by 2021, outnumbering the under-20's by 2015, and leading to an overall increase in the District's population.

The District's ageing population may result in a smaller workforce and a higher dependency ratio, to the detriment of the economic prospects of the area. The ageing population could also lead to an increased demand for health and social care, rather than services for youth. However, a lack of facilities for young people is a current weakness in the District. The changing demographic balance may result in the isolation of the existing pockets of young people in the area - this may have an effect on the social and economic futures of local young people.

The District experiences relatively modest levels of in-migration, primarily into Foulness and Great Wakering Ward and areas along the border with Basildon.

Housing

As at September 2008, there were 35,623 households within Rochford District. The average price of a detached dwelling in July 2008 was £300,000 in Rochford District, which is lower than the average price for the same property type in Essex (£397,967, source: www.home.co.uk)

The Regional Spatial Strategy (known as the East of England Plan) has given an allocation of 4600 dwellings to be built in Rochford District between 2001 and 2021. This figure is based on meeting the needs of the current and the future population of the District. As at 31^st March 2006, 810 dwellings had been completed since 2001.

Current need encompasses the number of people in the District who are living within a household and who want to move to their own accommodation and form a separate household. Projected need is derived from the supposition that the population is projected to increase from 81,300 in 2007 to 87,000 by 2021. In order to meet the needs of our growing population, houses need to be provided for those moving to their own accommodation.

Housing needs studies and other data from sources such as the housing waiting list indicate that demand for housing is focused primarily on the District's larger settlements of Rayleigh, Hockley and Rochford, but there is still demand for housing in other settlements.

Issues and Opportunities

There is a high-level of home ownership in the District. However, concealed households (person or persons living within a household wanting to move to their own accommodation and form a separate household, e.g. adult children living with their parents) are largely unable to afford to enter the local housing market due to the gap between house prices and income. There is a limited supply of affordable housing in the District and the development of additional affordable units across the region is not keeping pace with demand.

The development of additional housing will impact upon all forms of physical and social infrastructure. This impact will have to be addressed through planning obligations and other forms of developer contributions.

Failure to provide affordable housing that meets the needs of the District's residents may lead to the continued out-migration, to the detriment of the vitality of local communities.

Outside of the District's main settlements, the majority of undeveloped land is designated as Metropolitan Green Belt. However, there is a limit to how much infilling and intensification existing settlements can sustain without their character being adversely affected.

The development of additional housing will have the potential to deliver affordable housing to meet the current shortfall, in order to supply housing for local community need. This will only happen, however, if planning policies are in place to ensure a proportion of the housing developed is affordable.

The release of land for housing provides an opportunity to ensure that infrastructure is developed alongside it that benefits residents of both existing dwellings and those that will be developed. Planning obligations and the community infrastructure levy provide a mechanism to ensure that the required infrastructure accompanies all new development.

Economy

Rochford has a small, but reasonably productive, and enterprising economy. Although the District does not record significant levels of 'high skills', a solid foundation of basic and intermediate skills underpins the local economy, and supports a healthy share of knowledge-driven jobs.

Rochford District is a generally prosperous part of the country, despite only a modest share of resident 'knowledge workers', the typically higher paid employees. This is reflected in reasonably low deprivation, excellent health conditions among the District's population (although some pockets of poorer health in the more urban areas are evident), and one of the lowest crime rates in the country.

Issues and Opportunities

The small economic scale, modest levels of high skills and local competition may be undermining the sustainability of the Rochford economy; resulting in Rochford ranked within the lowest quartile of local districts by its economic change score.

In addition, data at the ward level shows some evidence of an economic divide between urban and rural areas; this is particularly noticeable in levels of skills, where wards close to the coast have significantly lower levels of skills than wards close to the town centres.

The economy of the District is dominated by the service sector with over three-quarters of those employed in the District working in this sector. This is, however, a smaller proportion than that of either the region or the country.

Although the District is predominantly rural, the proportion of local businesses involved in agricultural activities is low, constituting a fraction over 3% of VAT registered businesses in Rochford District compared to national and regional figures of a fraction over 5% and over 5.5%, respectively.

The direction of travel for the local economy is not as positive as many other local authorities in the UK. Rochford relies on jobs in manufacturing to a greater degree than nationally and regionally, yet this is the sector which is shrinking the most due to changes in the economy. However, type of manufacturing is important and Rochford contains specialist manufacturing which continues to perform well.

Business enterprise in the District is largely made up of smaller firms, with nearly three-quarters of businesses employing between 0 and 4 people. This is above the national average. Conversely, the District contains few businesses that employ large numbers of people.

A higher than average proportion of the workforce are employed in manufacturing. However, in recent years this sector has seen a greater loss in jobs than any other sector in the District.

The more highly paid knowledge workers (with higher weekly incomes) are found mainly along the borders of Basildon and around Rochford town centre - giving rise to another rural-urban divide in the District. Higher levels of deprivation are found in the more rural parts of Rochford.

A high proportion of the Rochford workforce commutes out of the District. 30% travel to work in Southend, 14% to London, 9% to Basildon and about 15% travel elsewhere outside the District.

London Southend Airport is located within the District and has the potential to be a focus for economic growth around aviation-related industries.

The Thames Gateway is a national priority for regeneration and growth and is identified in the Government's Sustainable Communities plan as one of the growth areas for new housing in the South East. The vision for Thames Gateway South Essex is focused on the creation of sustainable communities that make the most of the unique characteristics of South Essex. Rochford District is recognised as an area for developing leisure, recreation and tourism activities and in particular is key to the development and expansion of the Green Grid - the connection of residential areas with green spaces.

Rochford District's proximity to engines of economic growth - London, South East knowledge economy etc - together with improvements in technology and the more rural quality of life available in the District - provide economic opportunities.

Transport

Rochford has 3 strategic trunk routes in or around its boundary, namely the A130, A127 and A13. The A127 and A13 run directly to London, a main commuter and employment destination. There are also 3 train stations located in the District, which provide a direct service to London Liverpool Street.

Issues and Opportunities

There is a high level of car-ownership in the District. However, the proportion of people travelling to work by public transport is greater than the national and regional averages, primarily due to the accessibility of rail links from the District three main urban areas. Away from the three main settlements, car dependency is high.

Car dependency within the District is high, particularly outside of the three main urban areas. Congestion and environmental impacts will continue to worsen with population growth if this trend is not reversed.

The lack of public transport provision throughout most of the District is an obstacle to reducing car dependency. There is, however, some opportunity to utilise public transport, particularly within the three main settlements which contain rail links between each other, Southend and London.

Current cycle networks in the District are limited both in quantity and quality and do not encourage people to travel by bicycle. Through the new planning process, there is an opportunity to improve this situation and provide an integrated network of cycle paths across the District.

Settlements

The proximity of Southend-on-Sea and the relationship between this urban area and predominantly rural Rochford District also has a considerable impact upon the characteristics of the District. Southend is the largest retail centre in the sub-region, attracting consumer expenditure from a wider area and contributing to the leakage of spending out of the District. The retail catchment area of Southend overlays those of all of the District's centres. In addition, Southend provides a range of employment opportunities and is within easy commuting distance of a large proportion of the District's population.

Different parts of the District have a stronger relationship with different nearby towns. This relationship is illustrated in diagrammatic form below.

Issues and Opportunities

Within the District there are four tiers of settlement. The first tier comprises Rayleigh, Rochford and Hockley. These are all settlements with a range of services and facilities as well as some access to public transport.

Of the first tier settlements, Rayleigh is the only one which is classed as a principal town centre. Rayleigh also has the best access to services within the District. Rochford and Hockley contain local town centres catering for local need.

The second tier comprises Hullbridge and Great Wakering. These settlements have a more limited range of services and access to public transport is relatively poor.

The third tier is made up of the small rural settlement of Canewdon. This settlement has few services and public transport provision is generally poor.

The remaining rural settlements, groups of dwellings located within the Green Belt, can be grouped together as a fourth tier. These settlements have little or no services and residents are often completely dependent on the private car to access facilities.

The District's towns and villages are diverse in character reflecting their history, location and size. The character, layout and form of groups of buildings, streets and spaces make a significant contribution to providing a sense of place and adding to the quality of life in town and country. Residents have a strong sense of identity with their own settlement.

The District contains three town centres but there is a significant amount of leakage of spending to locations outside of the District, in particular to Southend. There is data, however, that suggests that an increasingly significant proportion of the District's spending is being retained in Rayleigh.

Further details on the character of the District are included within the annual Strategic Environmental Assessment Baseline Information Profile.