Major Issues facing Hockley Town Centre

- Poor variety of quality specialist shops and the amount of empty shops due to high rates / rents causing residents to shop elsewhere
- Shabby condition of shops, commercial premises, residential units, pavements, seating, bus shelters, and shop car parks
- Inadequate facilities for people with disabilities e.g. access to shops and service providers, appropriate pavements, kerbs and parking spaces
- Lack of leisure facilities and family restaurants
- Lack of youth facilities
- Traffic congestion at all main road junctions in the vicinity of the town centre, including Folly Lane, Buckingham Road, Hockley Rise, Station Approach / Eastern Road, Plumberow Avenue, and in particular the Spa roundabout
- Inadequate parking, especially close to retail and commercial premises, causing residents to shop elsewhere
- Poor bus service (infrequent and unreliable) and wrong bus stop locations

Potential Opportunities for Hockley Town Centre

- Relocate industry from Eldon Way Estate to proposed new Business Parks in Cherry Orchard Way or Rayleigh to create the space (directly and indirectly) to develop roads, shops, commercial units, youth facilities, leisure facilities, restaurants, and residential units (2 storey maximum), with appropriate parking facilities (possibly underground) and open green spaces, in both Spa Road and Eldon Way Estate, whilst providing new jobs. Eldon Way Estate must not become solely a housing estate
- Evaluate opportunities for redevelopment of the Foundry Industrial Estate
- After industry has been relocated, construct a new healthcare centre (not polyclinic), with free parking facilities, on Eldon Way Estate (or alternatively on Southend Road) for Hockley and Hawkwell West residents only
- Demolish the clinic and replace by residential units (maximum 2 storey) or retail / commercial units with apartments above. Transfer clinic functions to GP's and/or new healthcare centre. Alternatively, replace the clinic with a new healthcare centre (with adequate free parking)
- Relocate Royal Mail sorting office to Eldon Way Estate or the proposed new Business Park in Cherry Orchard Way to provide space for a market square (weekly farmers market) with retail and commercial units around the square, and for parking purposes (as per Rochford market square)
- Retain current supermarket with improved parking or relocate similar size supermarket (no more than 25% larger in order to protect smaller shops) to Eldon Way Estate with parking (free or refundable) and deliveries facilities (possibly underground)
- Reduce rates / rents to encourage quality, speciality, and varied village type shops, whilst providing new jobs
- Modernise shops, commercial and residential units whilst maintaining a village character, and considering people with disabilities. Modernise pavements and kerbs, including features for people with disabilities. Relocate bus stop from Alldays to a more suitable and safer location
- Construct a relief road to stop traffic using Hockley as a through route, especially with the additional traffic due to core strategy proposals, airport growth and development of new Business Parks. If a relief road is not feasible, then evaluate alternative proposals for the Spa roundabout and crossings to eliminate congestion, such as traffic lights with a filter lane into Spa Road
- Construct a new road through the back of the shops on north side of Spa Road and into a modernised Eldon Way Estate. Provide a new improved junction for Eldon Way due to increased traffic numbers
- Evaluate the benefits of a double roundabout at Station Approach / Eastern Road or filter lanes to improve traffic flow
- Improve parking at the back of shops and commercial units on the north side of Spa Road and possibly make use of space for parking if Royal Mail is relocated
- Provide a bus / train interchange and pull in area, plus a car drop off / pick up area at Hockley Station
- Provide a reliable and frequent bus service to encourage the use of public transport to reduce the number of cars on the roads and to support local shops