I grew up in Rayleigh and have lived at my current address for more than 30 years, and therefore have a good knowledge of the local area.

My experience is that many decades of growth and housing development is already putting the town's utility infrastructure, roads and amenities under significant pressure, and the level of new development proposed in the consultation is not desirable.

Traffic in, out and through Rayleigh is frequently congested and likely to come under increased pressure from the new housing already under construction between Rawreth and the London Road.

Proposed sites for new housing, such as those closest to where I live at the end of Bull Lane, Rayleigh would encroach unacceptably on local greenbelt land and threaten to mar access to nearby ancient woodlands of Hockley Woods and important green space.

By way of illustration, in the last 12 - 18 months the strain on local roads and utilities has contributed to the need for extensive works on water mains in and around Avondale Road, Bull Lane and The Chase. Increased traffic would be both unwelcome to local residents and unwise.