DETAILS: HIGHWAYS ISSUES

CHAPTER 1: Working with our partners
In 2011 Core Strategy document at T2 - Highways Improvements - re Retail & Town Centres - RTC 4, 5, 6 - it is noted for Rochford and Rayleigh Traffic Accessibility Reports will be made (which has been done), but such matters for Hockley would be in HAAP.

However, at para. 1.3 above, Rochford council claims to have liased with ECC Highways officers to identify proposed developments with significant highways impact, but there is no reference to a Traffic Assessment being done by Essex County Council under the HAAP procedure. This is both unsound and not legally compliant with documents.

CHAPTER 4, POLICY 3: Promoting better movement

This says planning applications for new development should be supported by a Transport Assessment, inferring developers, not ECC or RDC in conjunction with ECC, should deal with serious highways problems occasioned by a very impacting HAAP.

This policy is unsound, not positively prepared, justified or effective. It doesn't take into account inadequacy of the road system to cope with 100 new houses proposed, a c.3000 sq.m. supermarket and 3500 proposed dwellings across the district. Hockley has B1013, busiest B road in UK. This item should not be left to a developer, but to responsibility of ECC Highways on Rochford council's behalf to provide a Transport Assessment to accompany a HAAP.

CHAPTER 5: Working in partnership; Working with ECC

Council says it will continue to engage with the community in respect of future planning applications and they will be able to have further input in developments. As it has been demonstrated that they have not had much to date, this is doubtful and therefore unsound as indicated above.

DPD says ECC will review/approve Transport Assessments in any planning proposals and must be satisfied impacts are mitigated. Rochford council will cooperate with ECC through Local Highways Panel, which decides where monies for highways should be spent. However, this leaves such assessments to developers and a question mark over any public finance contribution. This is unsound and also not legally compliant, as Core Strategy 2011 infers HAAP would deal properly with Transport Assessments, which it does not do.