To whom it may concern,

In response to the spatial options consultation concerning Barling, Great Wakering, Little Wakering, Rochford and the SS0 to SS9 Area.

There may well be a need to provide additional housing for local children and their children's children however, as already being demonstrated, by the rocketing House prices recently in this area, that it is more affluent Londoners that are moving into this (cheaper to them) area. Supposedly they are moving here because its ironically greener.

These are the reasons I oppose this proposal

I moved from Southend into Little Wakering as I was struggling to cope with the busy built up area. Now I have a field at my open back fence and around me where I can calm my mind and balance my busy work schedule at the local hospital. It is my saviour. Evidence suggests for mental peace and mindfulness spending time surrounded by nature releases the hormone oxytocin to help our brains soothing system and lower our stress hormone cortisol, which keeps us in the threat fight or flight centre in the brain. With the rising levels of anxiety and mental health conditions particularly amongst the young we need to preserve green space in this area.

Mental health is already putting great strain on the NHS and doesn't, even now, have sufficient funding to manage the situation, let alone in the future when we are so crammed in no one can get space or do the things they enjoy to balance life's stressor.

Alot of the population are introverts and they get their energy from time away from people. Not being able to live with space around them will be detrimental to local health.

The pandemic has illustrated how living in built up, close proximity, highly populated areas is detrimental to health and has allowed ease of transmission of the virus. This will only get worse and more prevalent if we continue to fill in the green gaps with more people.

It will impact on the NHS, even now, there is great difficulties in this area accessing and getting a doctors or hospital appointment. I have already lost two people I love dearly because they couldn't get in to see a doctor or timely investigations and became terminal. This issue will grow even more.

Only two main roads in and out. Building in this dead end is trapping us and reducing our quality of life. Already I and my family have made life changes. Things that we used to enjoy we no longer do because of how busy the area has become and how difficult it is to get out of the area. I don't visit family in other areas very frequently because of the time it takes to get out and back in and stress the traffic creates. Family members have stopped clubs they enjoyed in Basildon because of the time it now takes with the built up traffic. All ready I don't do days out because it takes so long getting out and back into the area. I don't visit my elderly parents in Rochford as frequently as I would like because of the traffic to get there and back in a reasonable time around my work hours and children. This concerns me when I will need to travel there daily to be able to care for them but getting along the Ashingdon road is already a nightmare. I avoid going to town or retail because of the traffic to get there, because of how busy the places are.

Also where we are trying to lower carbon emissions and pollution we are sitting in traffic with engines running. Already this is the case to get anywhere. The junction at shopland Road and Sutton Road. Passed purdeys industrial estate to try and get to Rochford. Trying to get along the Ashingdon road. Priory Park, progress Road, Rayleigh weir etc. The more houses you build in this area, the more cars, the more pollution with traffic sitting at a standstill and not being able to get anywhere.

The condition of the roads is not suitable for more traffic like Barrow Hall Road and shopland Road. The road is narrow and there are many near misse head on crashes. The edges of the road are in poor condition which does not allow for manoeuvre when the road is so narrow especially with the speed people drive along the roads.

Business not being able to travel with ease in and out of the area will impact on economy.

It will impact on my NHS community physio team. We are having to restrict patient appointment already because it takes much longer to travel between patients in this area. Building up this dead end area will massively impact on the health care available to our aging population. It is already an issue, I live it every day at work. It is escalating stress in the team, in families and patients. It is a growing problem.

No infrastructure improvements with the builds that are already happening. Doctors, schools, fire service, community teams. There is only one secondary school for RDC pupils and space is already full at the primary schools.

Building up the area is restricting access to activities people do in their down time, how people in this area look after their mental and physical health. How they unwind. Less walks across field footpaths. Busier roads less access and more danger to cyclist. This area is popular for cyclists. It will restrict an activity that a vast number of people do for their health. Keeping active in this way will reduce their ailments in later life and will therefore need to access health services less. The reason it is popular for cyclists is that there is space, there is peace and the roads are quiet and safer.

There is alot of wildlife that New builds are pushing out of this area. Our children have a right to live amongst nature, that is how they learn to appreciate and take care of it.

With rising sea levels building on our limited open areas will increase flooding risk to those already living here.

This dead end area is not the area to build up. It is not fair to the existing population. Please stop trapping us here and negatively affecting our quality of life.