Initially, I must say this plan does not appear to have been notified to a great number of residents and our household was only aware of the details through a leaflet found at the local surgery on Monday 27th April, three days before responses were finally due! We then had to arrange to pick up a copy of the action plan from Rochford Council offices. A plan of this proposed magnitude requires a better consultation distribution system from the Council.

FIRSTLY, GENERAL COMMENTS ON THE ACTION PLAN:

Throughout the published Action Plan, Hockley is constantly referred to as a town. We have lived in the locality for over 40 years and Hockley is not a town, but still a village with the definite characteristics of same, which is how the majority of residents still wish it to be. The proposed development of Hockley village is far too big. It is being led by housing matters and is not, as is being presented, to the benefit of the local community and Hockley traders. Even the Government Planning Statement 6 refers to Hockley as not meeting the criteria for a 'town centre'.

The plan as such is far too big a scheme and the centre of Hockley would be sufficiently welcoming purely by better maintenance of the shops along Spa Road together with a small amount of landscaping ie two or three trees planted along the pavement on the area between Bramerton Road and Somerfield's supermarket.

Having now read the Hockley Action Plan and I would make the following comments on particular sections of the plan on separate attached pages as requested:

Area Action Plan 1.2

1.2.1 The plan states 'Town centres play a key role in providing for local people's everyday needs in terms of shopping, healthcare and leisure. An AAP can provide a framework to ensure that these needs are met.'

Local people's everyday needs are already being met by the current village centre with the two exceptions of insufficient dentistry and doctor availability. Hockley village has a bakery, butcher's, greengrocer's, a supermarket and a hardware store. It has a shoemenders, men's and ladies' hairdressing shops, a dry-cleaners establishment, two florists, two chemists, an optician's and various other incidental shops which residents may wish to use. There is a library, local clinic, two surgeries, two dentists and a day-care centre as well as two halls for community use and three churches within the confines of the village centre. It has a railway station, two buses passing through and a petrol station.


(Page 2 of Plan)

1.2.4 I would suggest that 'stimulation' of the shopping area be undertaken by scrapping parking charges in Hockley car park which many people use to access doctor/dentist and library facilities, apart from shopping.

(Page 3 of Plan)

1.4 Overview of Area

1.4.2 Hockley village is too small for high-street multiples and even if the proposed developments were to take place it would still be too small for these.

1.4.3 The recent development of apartments is mentioned in the Plan. I have no knowledge of anyone local who was in favour of these apartments being built.

1.4.5 I fail to understand the phrase 'improving...quality of life for local people'. I have not met any resident who would consider it so.

1.4.6 'Enchanced retail offer for Hockley' is mentioned in the Plan. If commercial use is moved from other parts of Hockley to the shopping area, how will there be 'enhanced retail offer'.

Public space is proposed to be created in the shopping area. In local history, an open public space is just another area for youths to collect. Once this happens the space becomes virtually a no-go area for others.

2.2.2

What do I like about Hockley?

It is a village
Hockley Woods
Community feel
Low level housing
Open, airy aspect to Spa Road.

What do I dislike about Hockley?

The Spa Pub (heavy drinkers)
Bad planning issue with bar at bowling club at Eldon Way
Lack of free parking
Some shop fronts look a little drab
No. 8 bus infrequent (1 an hour)
Station Road/Spa Road junction difficulties


2.3 Urban Design

Hockley village is an easy area to understand with easily identifiable public and private spaces despite the Council's plan saying the opposite.

2.3.2 The Plan refers to the Essex Design Guide for design regarding Essex market town. Hockley is not a town, market or otherwise.

Legibility/Adaptability/Diversity

Hockley village centre is not poorly defined. The retail sector is mainly located parallel on each side of the road as is usual in a village. I see no advantage to have commercial/industrial use of shops within a retail area. In fact, these should definitely be separate as I feel they detract from people wishing to use the shops.

2.4 Land uses

Why change the use of Eldon Way to housing stock if the industrial units must then move and commercial activity be moved into the retail area?

Leisure

What sort of 'leisure' is being proposed for this development? A concern is that drinking establishments may be incorporated in the same places as children's leisure and entertainment venues (as has already happened in Hockley on the Eldon Way estate).

2.5 Form and structure

2.5.2 The wideness of the pavement in Spa Road is pleasing to walk along for residents and in no way hinders or intimidates pedestrians, as is intimated in the plan. Narrowing same is only of purpose to push more housing stock or commercial units behind the shops.

2.9 Summary of Issues (re street issues, etc)

I believe the road junction in Hockley at Station Road/Spa Road/Greensward Lane needs to be tackled - see entry on page 14 of this representation.

I do not consider the Main Road/Spa Road/Woodlands Road roundabout to be a problem - it is only the volume of traffic coming through from Rayleigh to the now opened Cherry Orchard link road which causes hold-ups (this link road was opened to address the question of congestion in Rochford which then pushed the problem back to Hockley). I have seen queues at this junction at busy times but have, however, never witnessed any problems at this junction with vehicles accessing any of the roads.

I believe the zebra crossing outside The Factory Shop could be moved further up the road to be more central.

3.2 Objectives

I do not agree that a mix of uses in the Spa Road area is useful or desirable. What is needed are shops!

I do not agree that Hockley needs a square. As with the open space near Chandos Garage is the past, it is not even desirable. This planned 'square', along with proposed 'Green landscaping along Main Road, Spa Road and Southend Road to enhance the visual amenity' will not be enhanced very long if it is not maintained. Due to council cutbacks, maintenance around local roads is non-existent and it would be expected that, after a while, this landscaping would go the same way. The Council, due to the ongoing economic climate, is not likely to have more funds than at present to carry out maintenance of public spaces.

I do not agree that Hockley needs to be more concentrated or that it would provide a higher quality of life. The pleasure of a village like Hockley is that it is not concentrated and a change of this sort would make people less likely to shop in Hockley. If concentration is wanted this can be found in other areas such as Lakeside, Southend, Basildon or Chelmsford - even Rayleigh although that does have a nice open aspect, as does Hockley at present.

3.3 Potential Opportunity Sites

3.3.8 Sites L and M

What is the 'community hub' to consist of? We already have surgeries and Library nearby. I do not think a Youth Club would be suitable at this location due to the closeness of the Spa Pub directly opposite. Whilst the exterior of the Spa public house has interest to Hockley's past, the pub itself is not a desirable one.

3.3.9 Transport

I do not agree that the junction of Spa Road/Main Road/Southend Road needs to be changed. As stated previously, I do believe the Station Road/Spa Road/Greensward Lane junction needs to be looked at - see page 14 of this representation.

3.7 Summary of Options

I do not support any of the proposed plans as I do not feel they are necessary. However, whilst I think the proposals for any of the schemes in this Action Plan are not suitable and are excessive for Hockley village, I am quite aware that Rochford Council would not have prepared this Plan without having ensured they are pushing at least one of them through in order to facilitate a housing density scheme, now or in the future. Accordingly, in this case, I consider this is to be a damage limitation exercise and therefore would state the following:

I consider the options numbered below to be in the order of least damaging to Hockley village if it has been decided to at least push one scheme through:

Starting at the top - Least damaging through to most damaging

Option 1.2
Option 1.1
Option 2.1
Option 2.2
Option 3.1
Option 3.2

3.9 Transport Options

3.9.2 - 3.9.4 I do not support a signalised plan at the junction of Spa Road/Main Road. I believe this will make matters worse.

3.9.5 I do not believe that changing access to Woodlands Road would improve matters. In fact it would create a problem at the junction of Hockley Rise and Main Road which is situated just past the brow of a hill and would also have a knock-on effect on traffic turning right out of White Hart Lane.

Station Approach/Spa Road

3.9.9 Turning right from Station Approach can be awkward but it is not used by many vehicles as opposed to the main road and Station Road.

3.9.10 I understand the problems for pedestrians crossing at this point but believe this is because very few of them - apart from Greensward pupils use the zebra crossing provided. Perhaps a zebra crossing could be placed on the Spa Road side of Station Road instead of the one already in existence, or perhaps as well as, so that station using pedestrians cross on that side (most of the traffic from Station Road turns right), especially so if the 'Factory Shop' crossing was moved to a more central position in Spa Road. There is also a problem at this junction with the bus stop. Buses coming from Ashingdon (No. 7) wait at this bus stop on the corner of the road. It is difficult turning left at Station Road from Greensward Lane if a bus is there because vehicles have to overtake and go immediately round the corner in front of it and drivers never know exactly when it will start up. In addition, when turning right out of Station Road into Spa Road - Greensward Lane, drivers have no view past the bus to see if other vehicles are coming. If, as this option describes, the road stop lines are put further back on the side roads (Station Road and Station Approach), this will make the situation worse still.

3.9.12 Bus Travel

It is considered that the No. 8 bus running on an hourly basis only is insufficient considering the Council's desire for people to use public transport within the locality.

3.10.3 Development Issues

Consultation for future development:

Whatever scheme the Council decides to push through, it has intimated it will seek private partnership arrangements for financial viability. Obviously, the private sector has it's own agenda and their participation will come at a cost, ie planning requests for more high density housing ie three/four storey flats at least, to be squeezed in. As previous unwanted development of knocking down houses and replacing them with flats has already occurred in Hockley and Hawkwell, what action is being put in place to ensure residents and not developers will decide what happens to Hockley village and it's surrounding area, which is a low level housing community and should stay as such.

East of England Plan/Rochford Futures Study

The East of England Spacial Strategy states 'new development should sustain and enhance .....throughout the region, being places with high levels of service provision'. It also says 'new housing should be....and high density......to make efficient use of land". However, the baseline analysis of Rochford District's performance (Rochford Futures Study 2007) states 'it has poor local services and amenities ....the local infrastructure is overloaded'. Nowhere in the Hockley Area Action Plan is there any reference to the local infrastructure with the exception of changes to one road junction. With all the new flats (apartments) how are the new residents supposed to access a doctor's appointment or a NHS dental one? What about the school overcrowding - the Government says children should be taught in no more than 30 in a class. In addition the roads are not suitable for more traffic in that vicinity (and the proposed signalling at the Spa Road/Main Road junction will have no effect on increased cars using the roads. What of the increased vehicle movements around the Station and Eldon Way area in what is an already congested area, far worse than the junction of Spa Road/Main Road as each day attests?