Comment
Rochford District Core Strategy Regulation 26 Draft
Representation ID: 736
Received: 26/06/2007
Respondent: Mr and Mrs Davison
Alarm bells began to ring loud and clear immediately I read (Echo 3/7/2007, attached) that the new owners of Lords Golf Club (formerly 'Hanover') in Hullbridge Road, Rayleigh have suggested that part of their Green Belt land could be used to build some of the new houses which the present government is forcing upon Rochford District Council.
How magnanimous of the new owners, developers Churchgate Holdings, to suggest such a scheme so soon after acquiring this site - obviously the thought that the value of the land, once given planning permission for housing, would rocket wirdly in value, making vast profits for the development company itself, had not even entered their heads?!
There have been numerous recent contentious planning applications all over the country for (so called) golf clubs to be built on Green Belt land. They have all met with very strong local suspicion and objection.
This case with the Lords Golf Club illustrates clearly that the unease generated by such proposals was well founded - no way can this permission be granted, either now or in the future, for to do so would certainly be the 'thin end of the wedge' for all our precious Green Belt land in the whole of the country.
What is the point of having the expense of County Councils and Town Councils etc if Government Policy is going to be forced upon us anyway? What about infrastructure and the extra pressure on this that these extra houses will cause, especially on roads, sewers, health care, schools etc. Loss of Green Belt is unacceptable. There should instead be tax incentives (as this is driven by central government, tax incentives should come from central government also) to encourage the full use of all brown sites as a top priority before any other land is used.
All new houses should have high standards of insulation and energy saving devices now before planning permission is granted.
Any new land used must be more fairly spread over the whole of the Rochford District - Rayleigh is already to densely populated!
What is the definition of affordable housing? (Affordable to whom? Prices and specification of these houses must be clearly defined).
In general, the pubilc needs more detail to comment properly on this very important matter. Questionnair should have been more widely distributed - supermarkets, Echo and free local papers, all newsagents etc etc.