5. Transport

Rayleigh Town Council has no significant reason to object to the content of each of the items incorporated in section 5 Transport

Paragraph 5.7-5.8, Policy DM31

Transport Impact Assessments have been provided for Rayleigh, Rochford, but as demonstrated by Hockley Area Action Plan Submission, not for Hockley, Hawkwell, Ashingdon.

HAAP envisages largescale redevelopment in central Hockley, to be done piecemeal by individual development applications, one already submitted. Clearly from Figure 3 and attendant paragraphs under Green Belt and Countryside - South Essex Coastal Towns, extensive development throughout Hockley, Hawkwell and Ashingdon, between Rayleigh and Rochford, is envisaged, presumably to be done piecemeal through individual applications.

Main Road through those settlements is winding narrow country lane, now tarmacked over for motorised traffic. Piecemeal large development schemes, with attendant traffic schemes left to developers to arrange with Essex Highways cannot work, as illustrated by 175 house scheme now being implemented in Hawkwell, with inadequate traffic scheme.

Medium term

The Parish Council has concerns regarding the following comments.

"Appropriate infrastructure will have been put into place to secure access to the wharfage at Baltic Wharf, thus helping to secure its future as an employment area".
The roads in and adjacent to Canewdon Parish suffer significantly from the number and size of vehicles visiting Baltic Wharf, exacerbated by the inappropriate speed of these vehicles. Whilst the wharf may be a provider of employment, the traffic problems caused do need to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

"A high quality bus service has been implemented giving people a genuine sustainable alternative to the private car".
Whilst we do still have a bus service in Canewdon, this is constantly under threat and we need to find a way to maintain or even improve the service, even though this may not be financially viable. Parishioners often have no alternative to car use.