I have just read the report on the development of the centre of Hockley and found it an interesting read and agree some issues stated in table 1 and believe there is a requirement for improvement in Hockley.

The shopping provision in Hockley village centre I believe is not as good as it once was, and issues highlighted in table 1 represent that are too many take away businesses. I don't think there is a problem with charity shops and have personally used them on many occasions.

I am a 32 year old man and have lived in Hockley all my life and seen many developments over the years. I have a number of concerns associated with the developments proposed in the report on the future impact on the Hockley area. My concerns are as follows:

1. The report continually refers to Hockley as a town. I believe Hockley is still a village and for most residents this remains so. Rayleigh has a population of over 30,000 which reflects its town's status whilst Hockley has less than 8,900 people. Stated in the report on p54, Hockley is not considered to meet the definition of a 'town centre' Retail and Leisure Study 2008.

2. The high amount of residential homes to be built I believe will put even more pressure on already stretched public services. Local schools are at bursting point, Greensward School has very little, if at all, available to build more classrooms. Doctor's surgeries are so busy they only have a limited time to care for patients.

3. Building flats/apartments obviously saves on land but the impacts are more widespread. This increase population again putting more stres on public services and infrastructure. As stated on p16 (2.6.1) there are aprox 15,000 cars a day use Hockley's roads. By increasing the amount of homes this will put even more stress on the roads from the inhabitant's cars.

4. The traffic problem at the Spa roundabout is not solely due to the poor road layout but to too many cars due to a high population coupled with drivers not understanding how to actually use a roundabout. I frequently observe drivers signalling right and continuing straight on. Traffic lights are not the answer to solve the problem. Most of the time the junction is fine except at rush hour due to huge numbers of people using the junction.

5. Stated in the report (p11) the council would look to build larger retail unit. I presume by this statement it would mean a large supermarket chain such as Tesco. By encouraging big multinational companies into the village would spell disaster for the local butchers, greengrocer, and newsagents. Further points to highlight concerning a big supermarket chain would be more traffic from local areas into the centre of the village creating more chaos and stress on local roads. Secondly there are already three big supermarket chains within a short drive of Hockley. Tesco on the A127, ASDA on Rawreth Lane and Sainsbury's at Rayleigh Weir. There should be encouragement of local business not huge companies with no ties to the area.

6. Nowhere in the report does it state an introduction of cycle paths. Referring back to point 3 and 15,000 cars use the roads would it be a good idea to try and encourage people onto their bikes and maybe reduce the amount of cars. I frequently cycle to work and at times still do not feel safe. I am aware that people travel long distances to work and cycling is not a viable option, but provision should still be there. This could act to encourage people to cycle and reduce traffic.

7. As stated earlier I think Hockley could benefit from development in its shopping area. An increase in housing I feel would be detrimental to the work that is going to put into the area. After studying the tables on pages 41-45 it seems a huge increase in properties being built depending on which option is chosen. I have already stated the stress on local services. With more property being built comes cars. If every dwelling had an average of 2 cars per household that would mean more cars on the road. The table below shows how many more cars could be on the road

Option 1.1
No. of Dwellings 140
No. of cars 180

Option 1.2
No. of Dwellings 114
No. of cars 128

Option 2.1
No. of Dwellings 158
No. of cars 316

Option 2.2
No. of Dwellings 209
No. of cars 418

Option 3.1
No. of Dwellings 157
No. of cars 314

Option 3.2
No. of Dwellings 186
No. of cars 372

8. Under the 6 proposals The Hockley Clinic (area H) would be moved to area L. I understand that health visitors from this unit have already been moved out to Rayleigh, so new mothers and families have to travel to Rayleigh for care, help and advice. What is the point of providing a service of care if they are already in another town? Secondly what is stopping the local authorities of moving health care altogether out of Hockley into a super clinic in Rayleigh? This can be referred back to the point keep stressing of increase in population but limited public services available.

9. Further question are, what is the time scale for this development? With the present climate is this the right time? Stated in point 3.10.3 it will be a long term matter, will the development just simply fade away over time? Will there be a formal meeting for residents of Hockley and the council so we can air our views? Because at present there is not one planned.

Thank you for the time in reading this letter and my viewpoints.