Objectives

Showing comments and forms 1 to 5 of 5

Object

Development Management Policies DPD

Representation ID: 17650

Received: 31/03/2010

Respondent: Mr Terry Waine

Representation Summary:

As RDC has been advised on many occasions by residents Hockley considers itself a village and not a town. All reference to it should be changed to District Centre.
The statement, 'A change of use should not result in a net loss of leisure use,' should be remembered when considering all the leisure facilities in Eldon Way.

Full text:

As RDC has been advised on many occasions by residents Hockley considers itself a village and not a town. All reference to it should be changed to District Centre.
The statement, 'A change of use should not result in a net loss of leisure use,' should be remembered when considering all the leisure facilities in Eldon Way.

Comment

Development Management Policies DPD

Representation ID: 19106

Received: 28/04/2010

Respondent: Mrs Pauline Young

Representation Summary:

It would be great to see all of our districts shops accessible to wheelchair users - is any consideration being given to this in any of the Area Action Plans? Especially considering that wheelchair users have no independent access to buses or trains and rely very much on local provisions and services.

Full text:

It would be great to see all of our districts shops accessible to wheelchair users - is any consideration being given to this in any of the Area Action Plans? Especially considering that wheelchair users have no independent access to buses or trains and rely very much on local provisions and services.

Object

Development Management Policies DPD

Representation ID: 19821

Received: 30/04/2010

Respondent: Maurice Drage

Representation Summary:

Suggestions for West Rochford ignore all four objectives.
From these locations Tesco is far more attractive than a long walk into Rochford town centre.
Does nothing for Rochford town - merely an example of urban sprawl.

Full text:

Suggestions for West Rochford ignore all four objectives.
From these locations Tesco is far more attractive than a long walk into Rochford town centre.
Does nothing for Rochford town - merely an example of urban sprawl.

Comment

Development Management Policies DPD

Representation ID: 21270

Received: 27/04/2010

Respondent: The Theatres Trust

Representation Summary:

Your Cultural Strategy on page 5 states that We have already mentioned that culture effects us all on a daily basis, so it is essential that we do not leave future developments to chance. By creating this strategy and continuing the evaluation and development of the action plans, we can ensure that all gaps in provision, opportunities, demands and aspirations, priorities and partners, are identified and acted upon.

Although the Rayleigh and Rochford AAPs may discuss town centre uses other than retail, the deferring of development implementations to subsequent planning documents places the reliance on these other documents to make the important decisions. Unfortunately there is no guidance in the Core Strategy for the Development Management document to provide policies to support the development of cultural facilities in town centres.

The Development Management document should contain a policy in this section that seeks to promote the provision of community, recreation and leisure facilities within the key centres for development, including local service centre villages. It should also confirm that key local services and facilities are to be protected from development proposals that would result in their loss unless specified criteria to demonstrate a clear lack of viability of the facility can be met.

Full text:

Thank you for your email of 18 March consulting The Theatres Trust on the Allocations Development Plan Document and the Development Management Development Plan Document.

The Theatres Trust is The National Advisory Public Body for Theatres. The Town & Country Planning (General Development Procedure) Order 1995, Article 10, Para (v) requires the Trust to be consulted on planning applications which include 'development involving any land on which there is a theatre.' It was established by The Theatres Trust Act 1976 'to promote the better protection of theatres'. This applies to all buildings that were either built as theatres or are used for theatre presentations, in current use, in other uses, or disused.

Due to the specific nature of the Trust's remit we are concerned with the protection and promotion of theatres and therefore anticipate policies relating to cultural facilities.

Development Management

Retail and Town Centres: We note and support the Vision of the first bullet point that by 2025 your town centres will contain a range of services and facilities that meet local demand. This is reflected in the third bullet point which states that shoppers will remain in the District's town centres because of the range of activities etc. Unfortunately there are no policies to introduce a range of facilities and services for your town centres, other than related to retail, as expressed in PPS4.

We query the use of the word 'shoppers' as visitors to your town centres who are attracted by a 'range of activities' may not primarily be 'shoppers'.

Your Cultural Strategy on page 5 states that We have already mentioned that culture effects us all on a daily basis, so it is essential that we do not leave future developments to chance. By creating this strategy and continuing the evaluation and development of the action plans, we can ensure that all gaps in provision, opportunities, demands and aspirations, priorities and partners, are identified and acted upon.

Although the Rayleigh and Rochford AAPs may discuss town centre uses other than retail, the deferring of development implementations to subsequent planning documents places the reliance on these other documents to make the important decisions. Unfortunately there is no guidance in the Core Strategy for the Development Management document to provide policies to support the development of cultural facilities in town centres.

The Development Management document should contain a policy in this section that seeks to promote the provision of community, recreation and leisure facilities within the key centres for development, including local service centre villages. It should also confirm that key local services and facilities are to be protected from development proposals that would result in their loss unless specified criteria to demonstrate a clear lack of viability of the facility can be met.

We look forward to being consulted on the Rayleigh and Rochford Town Centre Area Action Plans.



Comment

Development Management Policies DPD

Representation ID: 25583

Received: 30/04/2010

Respondent: Essex County Council

Representation Summary:

G. Retail and Town Centres - include an additional objective to read, 'Improve the public realm of the Town Centres and village and neighbourhood centres by implementing landscape and access schemes which include street trees to provide urban greening'

Full text:

Response of Essex County Council

Essex County Council supports the production of a Development Management DPD by Rochford District Council. By setting out detailed planning policies for the management of development the DPD will positively assist realisation of the District's Core Strategy. In this respect the linking of the DPD directly to the Vision and the four main corporate objectives for the District is welcomed.

The scope and coverage of the proposed Development Management policies is broadly supported but could benefit from some detailed textual changes to the Policies and their supporting text (as set out below) to reflect,

* the creation of safe direct walking and cycling routes to schools and other community facilities by inclusion of an additional section of supporting text together with an additional policy. Essex County Council would welcome early discussion with the District Council with the aim of producing jointly agreed text for such a section;
* the acknowledgment of the value and role of the Historic Environment by the Document should be more appropriately integrated within proposed Policy DM1 and Policy DM13 and the objectives for Environmental Issues;
* the proactive role that the District Council and partners are taking to the Green Belt, for example the positive approach that will result from improving access to the Upper Roach Valley and to Wallasea Island. Also, Renaissance Southend and Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, with partners including the County Council and the District Council, are actively promoting Stonebridge Park as a sub-regional greenspace project. The project would create major greenspaces and access improvements, including restoration of some existing and old landfills and utilizing the old haul roads for cycling and bridleways. This represents a major partnership opportunity for Rochford to create a substantial sub-regional park in the District. Further, the supporting text should refer to the recently announced initiative for a Coastal Path, to run the length of the English Coast, being led by Natural England, which presents a considerable opportunity for Rochford to create a major green attraction along the District's extensive coastline. Additional supporting text for Policy DM13 and to the vision and objectives for the Green Belt and Countryside is suggested;
* creation of an attractive and pleasant environment can support an improved retail offer and thereby assist enhancement of use of town centres by addition to the objectives for Retail and Town Centres;.
* the potential access issues raised by some forms of advertising, for instance advertising boards, (insofar as they can be subject to development management policies) by addition to Policy DM32 and Policy DM33 and their supporting text;
* the full scope of Essex County Council's 'Parking Standards: Design and Good Practice (2009)' by additions to the supporting text for Policy DM25;
* additional relevant sub-regional and county strategy documents.

In addition, Figure 1 is useful in setting out the types of documents which will comprise the Development Plan for Rochford. However, for completeness and for the benefit of users of the Development Plan it would be useful if all Development Plan Documents and Supplementary Planning Documents were listed by name. A brief description of their purpose and content would aid understanding of their relevance in consideration of particular planning proposals, topics and issues.

Suggested detailed textual changes to the Policies and their supporting text are,

A. Figure 1 - Additional description of Figure 1 to aid understanding of the relevance documents within the Local Development Framework in consideration of particular planning proposals, topics and issues;

B. Relationship to other strategies - additional relevant strategies to be referenced,
* Sub-regional strategies - 'Thames Gateway Parklands Vision 2008'
* County strategies -
o Developers' Guide to Infrastructure Contributions.
o Parking Standards Design and Good Practice
o Highways and Transport Development Management Policies

C. Policy DM1 Design of New Developments - amend criteria i), ii) and vi) to read,
i) accessibility by all forms of transport;
ii) boundary treatment and landscaping within the development;
vi) impact on the historic environment including designated sites, Conservation Areas, Listed Buildings, archaeological sites and the historic landscape;

The supporting text for Policy DM1 should be augmented to emphasise the role of the wider historic environment, including archaeological sites and historic landscapes.

D. Green Belt and Countryside
* The vision should be expanded by addition of the following,
o In five years - add three additional bullets to read,
- 'New Strategies for the Upper Roach countryside area and Stonebridge Park, around Great Wakering'
- 'New Visitor Facilities at RSPB Wallasea Island'
- 'A plan is developed of the line of the Coastal Path, showing how it runs through Rochford, connecting Burnham-on Crouch to Southend'
o By 2017 - add an additional bullet to read,
- 'Completion of the Coastal Path connecting Burnham-on Crouch to Southend'
o By 2025 - add two additional bullets to read,
- 'If appropriate, new Visitor facilities at Stonebridge Park and the Upper Crouch'
- 'Rochford is recognised as a tourist destination, with good access to the rivers and waterways and many visitors to the nationally recognised wetlands at Wallasea, the sub regional greenspaces located at the Upper Crouch and Stonebridge Park, and the Coastal Path'

* The Objectives should be expanded by addition of two additional objectives,
o 'Ensure the Green Belt includes positive appropriate activities such as countryside recreation, education, nature study etc'
o 'Aid the delivery of greenspaces identified in the Thames Gateway Green Grid Strategy and the Parklands Vision, alongside Essex County Council and neighbouring authorities'

* A further criterion should be added to the first paragraph of Policy DM13 (Green Tourism) to read 'the impact on the historic environment'.

* The supporting text to Policy DM13 (Green Tourism) should be expanded by addition of,
o A paragraph to read, 'Green Tourism should benefit the residents of Rochford and South Essex. Opening up the countryside of the Upper Roach Valley, Wallasea Island and the proposed Stonebridge Park will enable visitors increased access to the countryside, education facilities, improved health, new jobs and opportunities in new facilities and existing businesses. Furthermore it would elevate Rochford's reputation as a tourist destination.'
o text to note that the impact of tourism opportunities on the historic environment is as important as that on the natural environment.

E. Environmental Issues - the vision should be expanded by,
o in 5 years - add the words 'and historic environment' to the third bullet so that it reads 'Local, national and international sites of nature conservation and historic environment importance are protected.'
o By 2017 - add an additional bullet to read 'the local, national and international sites of historic environment importance are being increasingly protected, promoted and enhanced'.

F. Transport - the supporting text should be expanded to note,
* Essex County Council is the local highway authority and has a set of Development Management policies for the highways and transport aspects of development.
* the supporting text to Policy DM25 should note that Essex County Council's 'Parking Standards: Design and Good Practice (2009)' includes guidance related not only to private cars but also to 'Blue Badge' users, cyclists, motorcyclists and commercial vehicles.

G. Retail and Town Centres - include an additional objective to read, 'Improve the public realm of the Town Centres and village and neighbourhood centres by implementing landscape and access schemes which include street trees to provide urban greening'

H. Advertisements in the District
* In Policy DM32 - the first sentence should be amended by insertion of the words 'access and' to read, 'The design and siting of advertisements throughout the District must have regard to access and the visual impact of the building(s)...'
* In Policy DM33 - the second sentence should be amended by insertion of the words 'not cause an access problem,' to read '... and should be sensitive to the character of the area, visually unobtrusive, not cause an access problem, well designed and well located.'
* The first paragraph of the supporting text should be amended by insertion of the word 'access' to read '...is not detrimental to the access, appearance or value of a particular streetscape or buildings(s).'
* Additional supporting text should note that some forms of advertising, for instance, advertising boards can cause uncontrolled clutter which tends to restrict and obstruct access and provide tripping obstacles for people who are blind or partially sighted.

I. Safe Walking and Cycling Routes
The Document would benefit from an additional section of supporting text together with an additional policy that specifically addresses the creation of safe direct walking and cycling routes to schools and other community facilities. Essex County Council would welcome early discussion with the District Council with the aim of producing jointly agreed text for such a section.