Core Strategy Submission Document

The Hawkwell Action Group
C/O 84 Thorpe Road
Hawkwell
Essex
SS5 4JT


23 October 2009


I wish to register the objections of the Hawkwell Action Group (est.500 Members) to the proposal to build 175 houses in South Hawkwell (which does not exist and is in fact Hawkwell West), on the grounds that it is unsound and legally incompliant with the Council's own Core Strategy and the Government's PPS12 Policy for the following reasons:

Travel

The Core Strategy says 'locate development in areas where alternatives to car use are more viable', 'reduce the requirement to travel', and accompany any development with requisite highway infrastructure to 'mitigate their impact on the existing network'. It is not possible to do this in Hawkwell West as there is not space for development of local roads, especially in Rectory Road, and any development here would increase the requirement to travel, especially by car. Moving on to Public Transport the Core Strategy states that 'planning should be well related to existing public transport where possible'. There is just one bus to and from Southend/Rayleigh per hour with no prospect of Arriva providing an appropriate service in the long term.

I am told Essex County Council has already acknowledge concern with regard to the bottleneck at the railway bridge at St Mary's Church where additional traffic from other proposed developments in the District will 'rat run' to and from the B1013.

In Short:
• Limited public transport
• Increased car use causing heavy congestion
• Inability to improve highways
• Distance from shops
• Distance from rail stations

Environment

The Core Strategy talks about protecting the character of existing settlements and specifically 'seeks to take advantage of development opportunities that will provide social, economic and environmental benefits'. No such benefits would apply to this location and development would be materially detrimental to the character of the existing settlement in Hawkwell West. It also states 'there is a limit to how much infilling and intensification existing settlements can sustain without their character being adversely affected'. This limit has already been exceeded in Hawkwell West. This development, if it is to be off Rectory Road, will cause the urban coalescence of Hockley to Ashingdon via Hawkwell, surely this is not in line with spatial planning.

In Short:
• Semi rural location unsuitable for large development
• Complete loss of character
• Loss of green belt
• Loss of wildlife (I note the Environmental Report does not mention Muntjack deer located on the site)
• NO social, economic or environmental benefits whatsoever

We believe locations for development are based on the 'Call for Sites'. Surely locations should be based on the sustainability criteria within PPS12 and not on something that suits landowners? The proposal in the Rochford Core Strategy for this many houses in the Ward of Hawkwell West is UNSOUND because the vital requirements of PPS12 are not met in terms of sustainability, and therefore the location of Hawkwell West should be removed by The Inspector and the allocation moved to a sustainable location.


Yours sincerely


Carol Dutton
On Behalf of the Hawkwell Action Group