We are writing to you as we strongly object to the proposed plans to build a further 550 homes on what is currently green belt land and an additional 220 on what is currently the Rawreth Industrial Estate site. The worry that all the residents of Rayleigh have is that once builders encroach on any of this land, they will not stop until it has all been built on!

Rayleigh has seen a surge of new homes built in the last 20 years, particularly in West Rayleigh and the Rawreth area, and whilst there may have been a need for this, the promise of additional amenities has never materialised. Our schools are oversubscribed, the local doctors and dentists have long waiting lists and traffic and parking in this area is absolutely horrendous! Not to mention the fact that our children have nowhere safe to play anymore. The green fields between London Road and Rawreth Lane should be left alone - NO houses, NO employment land and NO traveller sites, thank you! There isn't enough farmland and countryside left in this area as it is!
A better choice to site these homes would be on the A1245 as it will not affect the green belt land and would involve only brown belt land, but would still have good access to Battlesbridge Station.

Also, if these proposals do go ahead and these homes are built, the existing and new properties are likely to be affected by flooding as there will be nowhere for the water to run away. Some of the homes in the area are already affected by this.

Employment in the area will also be negatively affected. With the impending closure of Eon on London Road as well as HSBC in Southend, there will be an additional 1,000 unemployed people looking for work in this area. It would, therefore, be ludicrous to bring more people into the area who will then add to the local unemployment figures!

We do understand the reasons why the Rawreth Industrial Estate needs to move due to pollution, noise etc but, by the same token, we do not believe that by moving the site to London Road that this problem will be solved. In fact, it will be exactly the same, right next door to residential dwellings. Surely it would be better placed further out away from homes and schools and a good site would be at the junction of the A1245 and the A127. This would be a far safer option and would mean less traffic congestion with easier access to main roads.

All the residents of Rayleigh urge you to seriously consider the impact on the current community and surroundings when making your decision about our future.