Object
New Local Plan: Spatial Options Document 2021
Representation ID: 44093
Received: 08/09/2021
Respondent: Mr & Mrs D Claydon
Number of people: 2
Across the Board Situation
1. As this document stands with no mention of any planned infrastructure except broadband, the number of properties has the potential to virtually double the population of RDC.
2. Medical services are already seriously overloaded prior to [covid] virus.
3. With Southend adjacent the whole thing will result in an environmental disaster!!
4. All the Council's executives should seriously pressure the 3 local Conservative MPs to go back to the Government and bluntly say quote the Government number of properties is a serious threat to a reasonable life in this area.
5. The proposed number of developments which will feed direct into the B1013 with the ones still in construction is some 2,000 plus houses, say 50% have 2 cars - 3000 extra vehicles feed into the B1013.
5.1 To put things into context the M1 was initially built as a dual carriageway road , no turnings or pedestrian crossings etc, to carry 19,000 vehicles a day. The B1013 currently carries 26-27000 a day and no wider than the days of horse and cart. it is frequently most days of the week backed up from Hockley and Hambro Hill past our house, over a mile each way. Weekends are often worse than week days now! I have frequently recorded noise levels of consistently over 80-85db, some 10ms off the road and 80 plus in the back garden!!
5.2 It is impossible to hold a conversation in the fron t garden. This level of noise in a commercial / industrial site / situation would require mandatory ear protection. The measured pollution some years ago was worse than St James area, central London!!!
6. As regards the environment and new developments it has been a mandatory requirement that properties do not discharge surface water onto the highway. The B1013 is a strategic highway, ECC and RDC have continuously and repeatedly ignored this. The result - highway drains are over loaded and flood to the detriment of others!
6.1 A recent development in Church Road, Hockley discharges probably around 200mts of surface water direct onto Church road, runs down the hill and floods under the bridge!
6.2 There is no mention of Grey water Recycling.
7. There is no mention of utilities, water, gas, electric, sewage etc!
7.1 There is a finite limit to the volume, water, gas and sewage you can get through a network. Too much sewage serious pollution health threat. The electrical network in this area is overloaded at present. Go too far cascade failure might make people listen a few days no electric!
To upgrade these services is not a few days job and its expensive. All developments should be charged a realistic infrastructure coat well in advance before construction, and development not allowed to start until infrastructure is in place! Doctors surgeries / schools etc - Hall Road 'cop out' overloaded other doctors now!
7.2 A typical example is Beaulie Place development east of Chelmsford, some 3000 plus properties, adjacent to rail line. Planning approval required station to be built before houses. Developer said "can't afford it" so now some 7/8 years on no station. Unlikely there ever will be! So people have to get to west side of Chelmsford to pick up a train!
7.3 Another example, when Park School Rawreth Lane was sold off, around 2000, the developer had to include improvements to the junction, Rawreth Lane. A substantial sum of money was available due to ECCs tardy working (they are responsible for the road strategic highway) the 5 year spend timescale run out! Nothing done. Money went back to developer, laughing all the way to the bank.
7.4 It has just been done, not finished yet, 20 years on, paid by other developments.
8. The B1013 is the heaviest trafficked B road in the country as a single narrow road and a strategic highway. ECC are incapable of maintaining it in a safe condition with current traffic let alone a few thousand more a day.
8.1 Before the first lockdown, March 2020, I reported to ECC two serious safety problems:- within 500 mts of our house, nome have been fixed yet despite reporting again recently.
A hole string of potholes 13/14 in all over about a 100m section of road on the south side by The Bull pub, you can not miss them. By The Bull pub to Folly Lane, very recently I saw a cyclist struggle to stay on her bike, trying to miss one hole, she hit another, it could have easily have been fatal, all down to ECC negligence.
8.2 The other one was a crack on the north side, from Bullwood Approach west and 50 metres, which opens up when HGVs go along it. Early this year a pot hole some 600mm diameter and 100 plus deep developed in it. The only way you could miss it in a car was scrub the kerb or cross the white line by 1 1/2 m plus. Despite chasing ECC some 3 times and logging it, it was finally bodge filled, not cut out or professionally done. It is starting to go again. The crack is now easily a 100 mtrs long and will soon be a good trap for a cycle wheel or motor bike!
9. Conclusion
If these additional developments take place without the infrastructure first It will be most unprofessional. There will be serious problems, knife and drug crime is out of control together with muggings and vandalism! At the moment and getting worse.
P.S. A month is too short to make a full judgment, many plans / maps are very poor quality.
Across the Board Situation
1. As this document stands with no mention of any planned infrastructure except broadband, the number of properties has the potential to virtually double the population of RDC.
2. Medical services are already seriously overloaded prior to [covid] virus.
3. With Southend adjacent the whole thing will result in an environmental disaster!!
4. All the Council's executives should seriously pressure the 3 local Conservative MPs to go back to the Government and bluntly say quote the Government number of properties is a serious threat to a reasonable life in this area.
5. The proposed number of developments which will feed direct into the B1013 with the ones still in construction is some 2,000 plus houses, say 50% have 2 cars - 3000 extra vehicles feed into the B1013.
5.1 To put things into context the M1 was initially built as a dual carriageway road , no turnings or pedestrian crossings etc, to carry 19,000 vehicles a day. The B1013 currently carries 26-27000 a day and no wider than the days of horse and cart. it is frequently most days of the week backed up from Hockley and Hambro Hill past our house, over a mile each way. Weekends are often worse than week days now! I have frequently recorded noise levels of consistently over 80-85db, some 10ms off the road and 80 plus in the back garden!!
5.2 It is impossible to hold a conversation in the fron t garden. This level of noise in a commercial / industrial site / situation would require mandatory ear protection. The measured pollution some years ago was worse than St James area, central London!!!
6. As regards the environment and new developments it has been a mandatory requirement that properties do not discharge surface water onto the highway. The B1013 is a strategic highway, ECC and RDC have continuously and repeatedly ignored this. The result - highway drains are over loaded and flood to the detriment of others!
6.1 A recent development in Church Road, Hockley discharges probably around 200mts of surface water direct onto Church road, runs down the hill and floods under the bridge!
6.2 There is no mention of Grey water Recycling.
7. There is no mention of utilities, water, gas, electric, sewage etc!
7.1 There is a finite limit to the volume, water, gas and sewage you can get through a network. Too much sewage serious pollution health threat. The electrical network in this area is overloaded at present. Go too far cascade failure might make people listen a few days no electric!
To upgrade these services is not a few days job and its expensive. All developments should be charged a realistic infrastructure coat well in advance before construction, and development not allowed to start until infrastructure is in place! Doctors surgeries / schools etc - Hall Road 'cop out' overloaded other doctors now!
7.2 A typical example is Beaulie Place development east of Chelmsford, some 3000 plus properties, adjacent to rail line. Planning approval required station to be built before houses. Developer said "can't afford it" so now some 7/8 years on no station. Unlikely there ever will be! So people have to get to west side of Chelmsford to pick up a train!
7.3 Another example, when Park School Rawreth Lane was sold off, around 2000, the developer had to include improvements to the junction, Rawreth Lane. A substantial sum of money was available due to ECCs tardy working (they are responsible for the road strategic highway) the 5 year spend timescale run out! Nothing done. Money went back to developer, laughing all the way to the bank.
7.4 It has just been done, not finished yet, 20 years on, paid by other developments.
8. The B1013 is the heaviest trafficked B road in the country as a single narrow road and a strategic highway. ECC are incapable of maintaining it in a safe condition with current traffic let alone a few thousand more a day.
8.1 Before the first lockdown, March 2020, I reported to ECC two serious safety problems:- within 500 mts of our house, nome have been fixed yet despite reporting again recently.
A hole string of potholes 13/14 in all over about a 100m section of road on the south side by The Bull pub, you can not miss them. By The Bull pub to Folly Lane, very recently I saw a cyclist struggle to stay on her bike, trying to miss one hole, she hit another, it could have easily have been fatal, all down to ECC negligence.
8.2 The other one was a crack on the north side, from Bullwood Approach west and 50 metres, which opens up when HGVs go along it. Early this year a pot hole some 600mm diameter and 100 plus deep developed in it. The only way you could miss it in a car was scrub the kerb or cross the white line by 1 1/2 m plus. Despite chasing ECC some 3 times and logging it, it was finally bodge filled, not cut out or professionally done. It is starting to go again. The crack is now easily a 100 mtrs long and will soon be a good trap for a cycle wheel or motor bike!
9. Conclusion
If these additional developments take place without the infrastructure first It will be most unprofessional. There will be serious problems, knife and drug crime is out of control together with muggings and vandalism! At the moment and getting worse.
P.S. A month is too short to make a full judgment, many plans / maps are very poor quality.