Option E20

No development should be considered that impacts on greenbelt, woodland or Agricultural land.

Option E20 extends from the south of the Star Lane Brickworks to the north of Poynters Lane and will result in the coalescence of Great Wakering and Southend. This is contrary to PPG2 which states that one of the key purposes of the green belt is to prevent neighbouring towns from merging into one another. The impact of coalescence is recognised in the consultation document when the site is considered for housing as Option WGW4.

The proposed site only adjoins a built up area on part of its northern boundary and it is open in aspect to the east, south and west. By virtue of its location it will have a significant impact on the landscape and the openness green belt.

The site also adjoins Star Lane Pits to the north. This is a Local Wildlife Site identified in the Rochford District Local Wildlife Sites Review (2007) which forms part of the Local Development Framework evidence base. The ecological impact of siting employment uses close to this Local Wildlife Site should be carefully considered.

Employment use in this location could be detrimental to the setting and amenity of the proposed residential development at the adjacent Star Lane former brickworks site.

These options (E19, & E20, E21, & E22), would involve a single parcel (of varying size and shape), to the south of the brickworks, which are detached from the existing settlement and would extend further south than the existing settlement, very close to the boundary with Southend. In addition, these options would also have a potential conflict with options for the West Great Wakering location (Options WGW3, & WGW4), which proposes all or part of these locations for residential. These options would not have defensible boundaries and would importantly result in coalescence with the built-up area of Southend, contrary to PPG2.

In addition, these locations would be further away from public transport and existing services and facilities than the existing industrial estate that it seeks to replace, which means that it would be in not as sustainable location. The locations of commercial accommodation in the proposed location would not accord with the locational requirements detailed within the policies of PPS4.

As Star Lane Industrial Estate is a sustainable location, a better approach would be to redevelop the industrial park with a commercial scheme with a design of unit that is flexible enough to accommodate a range of employment uses.

The idea of de-allocating land in a sustainable location in order that it can be allocated for housing and then identifying new employment sites in less sustainable locations than the existing site is a contradiction.

The preference for future employment and housing provision should be to take a co-ordinated approach to the release of Green Belt land, and the requirements for employment and housing land considered together to limit the potential loss of Green Belt to the most sustainable locations, accessible by a range of means (including public transport), and with defensible boundaries.

RE: ALLOCATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT PLAN DOCUMENTS



Thank you for giving Anglian Water the opportunity to comment on the above document.



Please find our comments summarized on the attached document.