Object

Representation ID: 9229

Received: 08/04/2009

Respondent: CPREssex

1.1 Green Belt

Preservation of Metropolitan Green Belt (MGB) is a fundamental tenet of planning policy, set out in PPG2. . There is a distinct lack of clarity in the consultation document - e.g the map on p14 has no key and it was necessary to refer back to the council and to the June 2008 Issues and Options report to get an adequate picture of the current land use plan.

Having done so and assessed the proposals, our response is:

• We cannot accept the loss of MGB land to the north of aviation way, marked ii(a) and ii(d) on p14.
• The land at iii(c) is also MGB and needs to stay as such. It needs no alteration to its use or classification. (The proposal for this site is unclear).
• The land at ii(b) likewise is MGB and should be preserved as such. It should not be re-classified. The preferred option includes the re-location of Westcliff Rugby Club and refers to policy ENV2 which in turn refers to policy E7. The proposed re-location of the rugby club facilities will have to be funded by the Saxon Park area 2 development. This is an unnecessary and interdependent chain of actions, which have no demonstrable link to expansion of the airport or its runway except to help fund them. The simplest and only environmentally acceptable answer is to retain the Green Belt land as such and leave the rugby club where it is.

We note the reference to revising Green Belt boundaries: Some Local Planning Authorities in Essex have been encouraged to reconsider their MGB > boundaries in the Regional Spatial Strategy. But Rochford is not one of these. PPG2 requires that Green Belt boundaries should only be altered in 'exceptional circumstances'. (PPS2 Green Belts). The scale of alteration proposed here is very large and would be hugely detrimental to the value and purpose of the MGB in providing open and essentially unspoilt countryside dividing the conurbations of Rochford and Southend. The prospect of further encroachment of urbanisation is unacceptable.

CPRE is wholly against any loss of MGB, especially so in this part of the UK which is already becoming over-developed. The Green Belt prevents urban sprawl and the merging of nearby urbanisations. It provides openness and varying degrees of tranquillity and a habitat for wildlife. It contributes to quality of life, mental and physical health and well-being.

The industrial development (Saxon Business Park) proposed to the north of Aviation Way is totally unacceptable both in its scale and character on Green Belt land.

Also, situated directly to the west of the Brickworks' site, and the MGB land north of Aviation way lies the Cherry Orchard Jubilee Country Park, within a Special Landscape Area. This area is designated for its landscape and ecological quality. Industrial development of land on the other side of Cherry Orchard Lane would have a negative impact on the landscape character and visual amenity of this landscape. The negative impact of visual amenity would affect both recreational users of the Country Park and surrounding areas, and residents of Cherry Orchard Lane.

This proposal in no way constitutes 'exceptional circumstances' for such a large incursion into the green belt. Only the small area marked (iii) on the 'areas for change' map might be considered for employment use for the MRO business (and only the MRO business) if there is no other alterative. Even so this should not be considered a precedent for any further alterations in Green Belt boundary.

A 'green buffer' and new public open space, referred to in the POR, are not planning gains. They in no way compensate for the loss of existing green belt land and would alter its classification making it less protected and more vulnerable to future development.