objection to CFS059
Site reference CFS059, Sandhill Road.
Planning consent was previously sought to build a single four bedroom house with a garage on half of this site. RDC refused planning permission as the area is part of the Metropolitan Green Belt and is included in the Green Belt urban fringe boundary. The area is described in the RDC correspondence as “Being particularly sensitive.” The report goes on to say “Furthermore if this proposal were permitted it would make the adjoining land vulnerable to development pressures.”
When the applicant appealed the decision the Planning Inspectorate agreed with RDC and refused the appeal saying that it was inappropriate development. It therefor seems perverse for RDC to now suggest that the land could be considered as being suitable for to up to twenty houses.
The land is situated along the boundary between RDC and Southend and separates the two urban areas which I understand from council policy documents and consultation papers is an important purpose of green belt land. The land is also a natural habitat for numerous wildlife including Badgers and Bats.
The surrounding roads are already heavily congested with severe parking problems. Correspondence with both Essex Highways and Southend Council show that they are both aware of the problems and have both taken measures to try and reduce the dangers, Including a 20MPH speed limit in Eastwood Rise across the junction with Sandhill Road. All of these measures have failed to improve the situation and Southend are currently in the process of introducing yellow lines at most of the junctions along Gravel Road including the junction with Eastwood Rise which is a matter of meters from Sandhill Road. Allowing more development will only exacerbate the existing problems.
I feel it is totally inappropriate to continue building in areas where the existing infrastructure is strained and has little or no scope for improvement. If more housing is required then brown belt land should be used or consideration should only be given to building in areas of land outside existing towns where there is the space to build new infrastructure to service new development.