Allocations Submission Document

The submission document outlines the proposed policy SER3 - West Hockley within the Rochford District Council Local Development Framework Allocations Development Plan Document (DPD)
The area allocated within the submission document for additional housing under policy SER3 - West Hockley has been reduced from the Councils previous proposals for West Hockley.
Accordingly, this representation and consultation response requests further consideration is given to the Councils previous proposal which included 'Windfield' to the north and west of the area currently outlined and north of the proposed access from Church Lane.
The inclusion of 'Windfield' would provide an additional 1.27 acres of deliverable housing development yielding between 20 and 30 additional homes adding to the 50 allocated within the submission document. This would see a total of between 70 and 80 homes delivered within the plan period. Of the additional 20 to 30 units that 'Windfield' would deliver between 6 and 9 No units would be for the affordable market providing a greater number of affordable dwellings as part of the West Hockley housing allocations.
The Council had previously identified the West Hockley area for an additional 110 housing units based on the surrounding infrastructure.
The inclusion of 'Windfields' to achieve a further 20 to 30 houses would also create additional housing units within the infrastructure services, facilities listed in the submission document.
A main vehicular access is proposed to come alongside the 'Windfield' site along Church Lane opening up a new and a more formalised highway junction. The likely highway design would be more appropriate and responsive of development to the front/west of the area highlighted within the submission as opposed to within the developed area which gives rise to the appearance of backland development.
'Windfield' currently has a Tree Preservation Order to the front/west of the site and an area subject to Preservation Order to the rear of the site.
Within the Rochford District Council Allocations Submission document reference is made to the area included for additional housing in West Hockley as affecting the adjacent Tree Preservation Orders with further commentary noting that the existing trees should be retained unless it can be demonstrated at the planning application stage that this would render development unviable.
As part of including the 'Windfield' site a sensitively designed solution could see the retention of protected trees to provide a housing scheme set within an established green landscape protecting and enhancing the public amenity.
This would see a greater amount of Green space to improve the overall environmental quality, quality and appearance of the landscape and local bio-diversity.
The inclusion of the 'Windfield' site could achieve the same level of sensitivity to the character, setting and surrounding context as the area outlined in the SER 3 - West Hockley Allocation. Whilst reflecting a greater number of houses than the 50 currently allocated.
The additional area would create no additional pressure on local infrastructure and would yield a greater number of homes than Rochford have currently identified to be delivered with the plan period.
As such we respectfully request this consultation response is accessed as part of the submission analysis and review.