Local Development Framework 

This term “Local Development framework” will become very familiar to you over the months to come; it is, and will become more and more, the hot topic of conversation in our towns and villages. 

I will provide just a little background information in order to set the scene 

The government instructed all local planning authorities, of whom Rochford District Council is one, to carry out a housing needs survey. The survey for this district indicated that there would be a need for 4,600 additional homes by the year 2020.

We were subsequently instructed to prepare a Local Development Framework to ensure that this need is met and that Central Government’s directive will come to fruition. 

The act of Parliament that enforces this is the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act (2004), through Planning Policy Statements 3 and 12 

Obviously since the survey a number of homes have been built, to the extent that the outstanding requirement now stands at 3,700 

It is the Conservative way and it is my way to tell you the facts, as they are without embellishment; we can then work together to establish the best possible solution to whatever is put before us. 

As things stand at the moment: 

To facilitate the building of less than 3,700 homes is not an option. If we do not make the appropriate provision, the matter will ultimately be taken out of our hands, and the land for the new homes will be allocated by those unfamiliar with our District. Heaven help us then!   

The Government has no intention to provide improvements to our woefully inadequate road system 

Sewage matters – Rainwater and storm water relief – Utilities; all are the province for the Developers to resolve to the satisfaction of the Engineers employed by Rochford District Council and Essex County Council. The exception to this would be the general common sense requirement not to build in a flood plane. 

We have very few brown field sites left, and what there are, will not satisfy much of the land area demand that we now face. 
 
 

Your opinion 

The whole process requires that we ask all of our community for their opinions of where the new housing should go. To this end Rochford District Council has a number of road shows, going around the district, canvassing opinion. You may also like to provide your opinion by accessing the Rochford District Council web site: www.rochford.gov.uk  

Please do so… The more folk who express an opinion, the better your council will be informed. 

There will be several consultations; probably the most important two for the majority of our Residents are the Core Strategy and the Allocations document. The Core Strategy is doing the rounds at the moment. 

You will note from this that Rochford District Council has made the following suggestions as to how the new housing may be distributed: 

Rochford / Ashingdon  1000

Hockley / Hawkwell    400

Rayleigh   1800

Smaller settlements    500 (total) 

They have come to these conclusions following many points of consideration, one of the most important being access to a major road network. 

Please look at a map… Eliminate all the land that forms the flood plain areas… Now locate land adjacent or very near to a major road; remember this Government have not provided any money for additional or better roads… It is quite simple to see how the Council came to the conclusions that they have…

Perhaps it would be better for all our existing conurbations if we were to build a single new village leaving our villages and towns just as they are at present. We could then insist that the Developer put in an appropriate road system if that were to be the case. 

At this stage nothing is cast in stone. Tell us your views. Demonstrate to your Councillors whereabouts in the Rochford District you would put these extra 3,700 houses and how the occupants would access our extremely poor road system. Time is of the essence if your point of view is to matter. The consultation period is NOW. 

Following close on the heels of the Core Strategy will be the Allocations Document. This will identify the site specific locations where these new homes will go. 

We will update you on that a little later on; there is quite enough to concern us all with the broader “Core Strategy” document. 
 

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are talking in terms of months for these documents to be compiled and presented for examination in public, not years.

I cannot over emphasise the urgency to have your say now 

There is more to come, much more; land allocation for commerce and industry to help create more jobs for this increase in populace; leisure facilities; facilities for tourism, such has hotel accommodation. We will consider these matters a little later on within this web site and, as always, try to keep you fully informed 

Please make your views known; we are here to serve and represent YOU! It is not the other way around 
 

Keith Hudson

(Executive Member for Planning & Transportation)