Rochford Council’s Airport Meeting Cancelled

The Extraordinary Full Council Meeting to be held in Rochford on 16 July has been cancelled.

It is understood that residents intended to attend the meeting to hear what their councillors thought about the JAAP Plans for Southend Airport.

Residents in both Southend and Rochford have expressed concerns about the plans in the public consultation and have read in the Press about an apparent about turn by many Southend Councillors. This was followed by a critical Press Release from Rochford District Council that the administration remain wholly in favour.

How do you dispose of a defunct toaster in Rochford District?

Or anything else that is not listed under Recyclable or Non Recyclable on RDC’s web site !!

An old toaster is not listed so what do you do with it now?  You can’t put it in any of the three bins.  Answers on a post card would be appreciated. Or rather please enter a message under Comments.

One of my residents has had a problem with the Contaminated Bin Stickers and I am at a loss at what to advise given his recent experience.

Hawkwell Bus Gloom - there could be hope !!

The Local Transport Act 2008 became law in November 2008 and I have been keenly awaiting the Guidance on Quality Partnership Schemes (QPS) which came into force on 6 April 2009.

There are now  far more effective set of options and powers to improve bus services. The bus in public transport provision in Rochford District has for too long been allowed to slip into decline. Now there are powers available to local authorities to work with operators to get to grips with more of the problems behind this decline.

Queues cut by providing blood tests clinics near to where you live

As of Monday 23rd March 2009 you can make blood test appointments at the following extended venues:

Rayleigh Clinic, Eastwood Road
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 9.00am to 12 noon, Thursday and Friday, 9.00am to 4.00pm.

Hockley Clinic, Spa Road
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 8.00am to 4.00pm, Wednesday 8.00am to 11.00am.

Southend University Hospital still operates a walk in clinic in the daytime between 8.00am and 4.00pm
but for your convenience please use your local clinic.

This work is licenced under a
Creative Commons Licence.

Rochford Housing Policy - What happens next?

So the public consultation on the Rochford Core Strategy - Preferred Options closed at 5.00 pm on 17 December 2008.

So what happens next?

Rochford District Council has shared with the public the outcome of the consultation.

But they have yet to say what they intend to do about the objections.

In the meantime the Councillors responsible for planning policy strategy have embarked on yet another tour of potential sites.  John asked the Portfolio Holder in public if these members would read all the objections before they visit a location.  He said that he would so let’s hope that all the others do and get up to speed with the problems that they did not forsee because of the lack of ward specific knowledge. 

Hockley Regeneration Plan - How could this affect Hawkwell?

 But how could this affect Hawkwell?  Apart from the obvious that many, many people from Hawkwell regard Hockley Village as a place for public resources and shopping - one of the Options (2.1) involves building up to 200 houses/apartments on the Eldon Way Industrial Estate.  Is this the best Option ignoring the interests of protecting Hawkwell’s green belt?  Where would the industrial users go?  To the proposed new industrial area at the Airport. If this Option were chosen then the total number of houses that are proposed to be built on green belt in Hawkwell could be reduced from 330 to 130 which in turn could be built on a brown field site like the industrial site at Magees in Hawkwell.

Consultation - On The Airport

Please let us have your Comments !!

Please add them to this Article and also add them to the Council’s Web Site, http://www.rochford.gov.uk

I am very concerned about the future capacity of the B1013 to accommodate the vehicle traffic from the extended airport and the 3300 houses that the Government require to be built in our District.  I have seen no studies from Essex County Council which allay my concerns. I have already raised these concerns with the airport.

New Bus 18 - Hourly, Fridays Only, Circular Route but to Tesco

http://www.arrivabus.co.uk/serviceInformation.aspx?id=4236

Arriva advise me that it a commercial service and it is not subsidised by Tesco.

The route was intended to cover as much of the Hawkwell, Hockley and Ashingdon area as possible but without too long a journey from any section.

The bus runs on Fridays ONLY as it is committed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays.

Monday is available and we are exploring providing another area with a useful link they do not currently have.

Sorry, some good news for a Friday but no chance of running on other days.

More or Less New Houses in Hawkwell?

From the Echo;

“Councillors are preparing to tour the Rochford District to find sites for new homes. Last week, Councillors decided they would look at about 30 to 40 locations for settlements of more than 50 homes.  They will then draw up their plan, called a core strategy, which guides development in the district. Keith Hudson (Con, Hockley Central), Councillor responsible for planning, said a possible 100 homes, which could be built in Hockley town centre, would be included in the 350-home total required for both Hockley and Hawkwell.  Last autumn, the district council revealed its provisional plans for where the housing would go as part of its preferred options for the core strategy.  The two most contentious areas were Hawkwell and Rawreth, where residents campaigned against their housing allocations.  The District Council earmarked 330 homes for Hawkwell and 1,050 houses for Rawreth.  During the consultation, Rayleigh Town Council and Hawkwell and Rawreth parish councils all listed their objections to the plan in strong terms.”

Are there going to be Major Housing Developments in the East of Rochford and Southend?

If you need any evidence of how quickly things change in politics look no further than Southend Borough Council.

On 28 October in the Echo, Anna Waite, Planning Supremo at Southend Council on the possibility of NEW plans to build 10,000 new homes in the next 20 years on land at Fossetts Farm and Bournes Green, Southend said:

“This scheme is ill-conceived, unsustainable and very undesirable.

“I believe we should be protecting the green belt from housing developments and farming our agricultural land to sustain the population.

“I shall be opposing this proposal, which I strongly believe the residents of east Southend do not want.”   

Next Page »