The strategy for planned employment growth at London Southend Airport requires further consideration. Barratt Eastern Counties supports the growth of London Southend Airport for commercial purposes linked to the Airport and to help fulfil the employment needs of Southend Borough, which it adjoins. However, the strategy for providing a large proportion of Rochford's employment growth at the Airport appears unsustainable. The Airport is currently mostly accessible only by car from Hawkwell, Rayleigh and Rochford with limited bus services along the B1013. The settlements of Hawkwell and Rayleigh in particular are not as well connected to London Southend Airport. The Airport is not therefore considered a sustainable location for Rochford District wide employment growth. It is considered that the main settlements of Rochford, Hawkwell/Hockley and Rayleigh should be the focus of new employment growth and that the Airport be the location for Airport related development and employment growth linked to Southend.

The draft Core Strategy published in October 2008 highlights Rochford, Hawkwell/Hockley and Rayleigh as being "top tier" settlements for new housing growth. We consider that a sustainable development strategy would necessitate retention of existing employment areas and new employment growth at these locations to supplement new housing development. It is recognised that the airport and its environs could be developed with sufficient support infrastructure including employment related development but a balance needs to be struck so that unsustainable travel patterns are not created between Rochford and Southend an the Airport.

By targeting the majority of employment growth at the Airport there is a very real danger that the important open gap between the Airport/Southend and Rochford begins to close and that the two settlements coalesce. Rochford has a distinct character which would be undermined by this process. The Vision should therefore be refined to ensure that sustainable development principles and the principles embodied in PPG13 are not compromised. This will mean reconsidering at least one of the proposed employment allocations in favour of new locations at the "top tier" settlements.