We live in Barling Magna and have done so for 35 years and never have we been so concerned about an issue.

I have serious concerns around the consultation document itself, it uses place names like ‘Stonebridge’ rather than a ward name, it has omissions of current ongoing developments , which when completed will add to the general congestion on some roads. Because, I was informed, they have consent they do not need to be shown as this reflects a call for new land. But surely we need to now about them to assess the overall amount of development in an area before we can assess if we can accept more.

It says, and Rochford has confirmed, ‘infrastructure first’, but there is no indication as to how or where this infrastructure would be - whether it be first or last, so how can one assess a site without knowing where the new road would go to get there?

The Council should not reach any conclusions until Government Housing Policy and numbers to be found has been confirmed.

The consultation has divided large swathes of offered land up into small parcels and invites comments on the parcels rather than the overall principal of a development in that area. This contributes to a very difficult to follow consultation made far worse by poor software running the consultation.

On the above points alone I question the validity of this consultation.

The consultation invites comments on the future categorisation of land, residential, employment, green etc. However, most of the land that has been put forward is currently green belt land, and it’s development would be against current RDC policies.

“The land in question forms part of the Metropolitan Green belt. Such land can only be developed for ‘Exceptional circumstances’ as detailed in the Planning Policy Guidance Note 2 (PPG2), and states in para 143 that Inappropriate development is by definition harmful to Green Belt’’ and in Para 145 that ‘’A local planning authority should regard the construction of new buildings as inappropriate in the Green Belt.” There are exceptions but these do not include house building on anything other than a minor scale.

I suspect that most of the residents would wish it to remain green belt. What is the point of having green belt land if, just because it is easier to build on than brownfield it becomes an option in the next consultation etc. Government policy has indicated that the use of green belt land should not be assumed and indeed this classification could be sufficient to rule out its use other than for minor applications.

Now, more than ever, development should look to be sustainable, indeed it is beholden on our Cllrs and our Council Planning Dept to ensure that it is.

Sustainability comes in many shapes, from the loss of a land use, through the materials used for building plus a plethora of issues like heat pumps, solar, glazing etc and this must include the sourcing of such items, through to accessibility, congestion, new roads needed and reliance on various forms of transport, easy access to work, education, health etc. Economic sustainability must also be assured and this goes beyond economic delivery but also includes the longer term economic viability for both new and current residents.

Based upon the above I would make the following comments-

• No housing development, from Rayleigh eastwards, in the current green belt or on agricultural land should be permissible on sustainability grounds other than small infill of ribbon development areas, extension to existing dwellings in green belt and ‘granny flats’ where space and neighbour privacy permits etc. Allow residents to make the most of their properties rather than needing to move.
• All current green belt land adjoining woodland, parkland, ancient copses etc should be retained and reinforced as protected green space and backfill towards these important wildlife havens and CO2 catchments should be prohibited.
• The destruction of arable land should not be permitted. We need to be as self sufficient in food matters as we can be, importing from Canada or France for example is far less sustainable and could become more difficult in the future.
• Access to and through Hockley, Ashingdon and Rochford is beyond capacity and cannot be expected to take any more traffic. A journey that 15 years ago took 15 mins now takes 30 minutes minimum and often more. Traffic around Rochford is often at a standstill due to parking, deliveries etc and at the morning and afternoon busy times it is totally snarled up.
• Brown field sites and intensification of existing dwelling areas should only be developed with a very light touch unless easy access to jobs, schools etc without adding to road congestion can be imposed and maintained.
• Rochford should not accept development that is accessed by highways that are not within the district or where necessary facilities including jobs are not able to be provided within close proximity preventing the need for more vehicle movements on already over congested roads.
• Reliance on Southend facilities, the A127 within Southend and Bournes Green Chase etc. should not be countenanced. Southend has high unemployment in many wards and high deprivation in the central wards, good jobs that provide good incomes are scarce in Southend, Shoebury, Rochford, Wakering, Barling, Paglesham etc. Thus any new residents moving into the area will be driving in and out each day or trying to access trains with limited parking.
• The lack of suitable employment the further east you go is also a major factor in the sustainability of the economic issues. Barling on good run is 30 mins from Rayleigh Weir, more development can only slow this even more.
• All construction materials will have to get to the east of Rayleigh via already tired and congested roads causing yet more delays, polluted air and disruption for residents and importantly businesses in the east of Southend. The greater the congestion into Southend the fewer returning tourists and the fewer jobs in Southend!

On a more positive note and in recognition that RDC, BDC and SBC all have to provide some new dwellings that will probably not be able to be fully accommodated within the town centres or brown field sites there are a few areas where I consider development would be sustainable,
• Along the north side of the A127, accessed by a new slip road off the A127.
• Land adjoining or close to the A130 in the south Rawreth area, (CFS146,147,167,144,168,145,137,055,121 ) here sufficient development could take place in conjunction with Basildon and Southend to absorb much of the dwelling numbers currently required by Government whilst at the same being large enough to sustain education facilities, healthcare, small retail and supermarkets etc alongside leisure and sports. Good access is here for work with A130 to Chelmsford, A127 to Basildon and Rayleigh, A13 to Thames corridor etc and those commuting by train can access Rayleigh Station relatively easily (or even a new station). As when and if the A127 is ever upgraded into Southend adequately and as when and if their unemployment rates improve then more work opportunities will open up.

• I support strategy option 3a a massed development west of Rayleigh, indeed I see a small new garden town as the only sensible, sustainable and long term economic option. This would not destroy the country side around existing villages nor lead to more traffic and congestion issues east of Rayleigh. It also allows for co-operation from different authorities to work together for benefit of their residents.
• I do not support the other strategy options as a means to provide any significant numbers of dwellings.

More specifically


CFS064, CFS264, CFS040, CFS161, and any further development along or requiring access to the roads Church Road, Folly Lane, Folly Chase, High Road, Main Road, Aldermans Hill etc and all the way through to Rochford Town Centre via Hall Road and Stroud Green should be considered as over-development and an undesirable change of use.
These roads cannot be improved to accommodate the already excessive traffic. Some sites along or close to these roads are encroaching on potential wildlife areas and others are on the periphery of woodland etc. None of these sites would generate enough to provide the necessary highway improvements, even assuming this were possible, Rayleigh has singularly failed to sort out its traffic congestion problems despite many attempts to do so. Nor would they generate sufficient for the other infrastructure contributions that would be needed to make these areas better, more attractive areas to live in for both new and existing residents. The result would be a significant loss of amenity and worsening living conditions for the existing residents.

CFS004, Barling, this site could take a few houses as extension of ribbon development but the land would be better suited to be used as woodland or wild flower meadow to the rear, and form parking for the school to the front of the site if agriculture is no longer viable. The numbers suggested to be built on this site are way more than sensible, not least due to the location near a school, the specifics of the road there, the very difficult parking in the area and the risk of flood. 29 new homes means at least 29 if not far more vehicles going into and out of the village each day, more school places etc,.

All development in Barling, Little and Great Wakering on greenfield or agricultural sites should not be considered further. I have already discussed the sustainability of areas to the east of the district and here more than ever that is important. Also, however, this land offers a real buffer against the muddling of Southend and Rochford, which is intrinsic to the identity of the 3 areas and also offers open space and leisure for Southend residents in the east of the borough . Green space is hardly prolific in this sector of Southend. I also disagree with the ‘convenient’ adding of these three areas together to form a tier, Barling is not part of nor similar to the Wakerings and should be considered along with tier 4 villages.

The roads in the Barling area are small narrow roads often without pavements, there are sharp bends and ditches etc, these are rural roads and should remain so.

Most of us live in these areas and especially in Barling because we like the rural feel of the area. We want to preserve that way of life and major developments
taking years to build and then thousands of residents with cars causing congestion and poorer air quality will destroy it forever. Given the way the estuaries divide up our district we need to preserve the countryside within each estuary sector. Thames - Roach and Roach - Crouch.

I trust you will carefully consider the above points when deciding the outcome of the consultation and that you realise the strength of feeling of residents.

Thank you for taking the time to read our concerns and suggestions