I feel the need to contact you to put my comments forward regarding the new local plan that is currently being consulted on. I understand that the council is under pressure to build homes to meet housing needs but I really do question who these new homes are for. We live in the area (Hullbridge). We have a 22 year old daughter and a 25 year old son. We are sadly in the process of having 500 homes built just down the road to us and a further huge development near Makro in Rayleigh and our own children and other local families cannot afford them! This cannot be right surely! If any housing is to be considered then it really does need to be affordable for local families and not sold on to inner and outer London housing associations!!

After looking at the area map in great detail and the proposed development sites being put forward, I would suggest that all housing is in one location either as mentioned in the consultation document: 3a - West of Rayleigh or 3b North of Southend.

Hullbridge once again, appears to have been targeted as a major area for development. My own garden and the land that we back onto, is designated as Green Belt/Agricultural land, yet this is still being considered. We wish to ask some questions and bring to your attention some issues with this that may have been completely overlooked when setting out this consultation document and map of proposed sites, in particular those EAST of Ferry Road CFS128, CFS265, CFS151, CFS172, CFS042, CFS041, CFS243, CFS237, CFS100:

• Most if not all of this land is designated green belt land and we have already had a large amount of housing in our 'village'. We want to maintain our village status!

• CFS151, CFS128, CFS172, CFS265 - have a large number of very old oak and ash trees bordering the land that should not be destroyed but have the potential of being so if the sites are developed. A neighbour had plans turned down for a wooden annexe because it would mean that trees needed to be cut down so this should also be the case when considering future development sites.

• CFS 151/CFS172 - I am not sure if you are aware but there is a history of JAPENESE KNOT WEED on/ near to both of these sites. I am sure that any future developer/prospective purchasers of homes on these sites would be very interested to know this, as any future homes could be rendered completely worthless.

• CFS151/CFS172 - The lane that borders this land (Long Lane) is a bridleway and pubic footpath that allows riders and the public to enjoy our countryside safely. We do not want, nor can we afford for these to be lost. Horse riders are already in danger when trying to access these bridleways from the main road (Lower Road). The road is so busy without the additional traffic that new homes would bring!

• CFS100 - This land was part of the old NSEC site and must be contaminated land. We would like to know how this is going to be dealt with, if development plans go through?

• CFS128 - This land is a haven for wildlife, including munt jac deer and barn owls that roost in the barn on site. Other areas should be considered before destroying the habitat of these animals. Where will they go if you build homes on all the fields in this area?

• There is a distinct lack of infrastructure in our village to cope with the amount of housing proposed! This was completely overlooked in order to push through plans for the 500 homes currently being built West of Ferry Road in Hullbridge and we are paying for it! Our roads are busier than ever. We now struggle to get a doctors appointment, there is one private dentist that only opens a few days a week and the public transport is totally unacceptable and unreliable, especially when it comes to getting children to and from school. We have the following questions that we would like to be carefully considered and then answered before any further homes are built in this area:
1. When were traffic surveys carried out? If they were during or since the pandemic, or conducted during the school holidays, then they will not give an accurate reflection of the amount of traffic that passes through our village nor the congestion that we face coming in and out of our village. A six minute journey has taken over an hour when Watery Lane is closed!
2. Has the Environment Agency's new potential flood maps been considered? This shows that most of Hullbridge will flood by 2040. It is going to be very difficult for home owners to get house insurance now that this new map has been released and will make it more difficult to sell homes.
3. What public transport will be available for any prospective new home owners East of Ferry Road? We DO NOT HAVE ANY public transport links, yet it was scored a '5' as 'very good public transport links'. This is not correct at all and does not even reflect the number of buses that leave Ferry Road per hour, let alone public transport for homes at the top of Coventry Hill. A score of '5' means 10+ buses an hour. This is totally inaccurate! The 820 bus school bus service for children travelling to and from Sweyne Park school has just been suspended, leaving many school children without a bus service to school. The bus company's answer is to use public transport but as I have previously mentioned, this is completely inadequate and we are already seeing children left stranded at the bus stops both in Hullbridge and then near Rayleigh station. Stopping this service will only put more pressure on our roads and add to pollution levels. This is without the number of new homes that you are once again considering for Hullbridge.
4. What traffic calming measures will be put into place to slow traffic down for any vehicles on the proposed sites to enter/exit Lower Road? Nobody has listened to current residents regarding the danger that we face pulling out onto Lower Road where it bends and narrows. We have been asking for a speed camera or flashing speed signs for years and have been passed back and forth between the council and highways, with no resolution at all.
5. What increase in local services will we see? Our doctors are already over stretched and the building of 500 homes West of Ferry Road has not yet reached completion, so we are yet to see the full impact of these new homes, let alone the homes proposed in this new local plan. Will there be additional doctors surgeries built? Will there be an NHS dentist? How will you ensure that local school children can get a place in the village school? What measures will be put into place to prevent the flooding, as detailed in the Environment Agency's map? How will you ensure that children have access to school transport to and from the local secondary school? What will you do to ensure that vital services such as policing, waste collections, postal services and emergency services are maintained with the influx of residents? Most of the services are overstretched as it is!
I fully appreciate that you are under pressure from the Government to build new homes but 4298 homes in our village is far too many and will more than double the size of our village, meaning that we will are unable to preserve our rural coastal village outlook.
Any homes that are built should have a large proportion set aside for residents of Rochford District Council to purchase affordable housing. There is not any point in building homes that are going to be bought up by wealthier London Boroughs, leaving our own local families without homes! This should not just be a money making/box ticking exercise but something that has a positive impact on local families in within Rochford District Council boundaries.