onlineFOCUS – News and Stuff For Rochford District

 

January 26th, 2012

Can We Learn Anything From Colchester?

The District Council runs a scheme called Shop At My Local to help our local businesses. They have some special offers here.

But maybe we can also learn something from Colchester. According to the Colchester Chronicle Blog:

“Pasini Promotions was formed because we realised all the promotional techniques we were using at our bars would benefit other businesses. Support Independent Colchester is a development of that work. We are all local people who live in Colchester who care passionately about the success of independently run businesses.
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We have spent a lot of time learning and developing ways of getting our businesses noticed, and through Support Independent Colchester, we believe we can help other small businesses, who may not have the time, budget or know how to get their business noticed and also give the general public a much better view of what Colchester has to offer.”

Do we need someone with PR knowhow to help publicise our good local shops and eating places – or will word-of-mouth and Facebook do it anyway?

January 25th, 2012

More Rochford

If you look at our right-hand sidebar, you will see we have added MoreRochford to our list of links. It describes itself as:

A blog about the beautiful historic village of Rochford, Essex – the good stuff and the struggles to retain its identity. Please feel free to join in and add comments beneath each post. Follow @jamesbowker on Twitter

There’s quite a bit of stuff here, particularly about the core strategy and how it affects the town of Rochford. Definitely worth a look.

January 24th, 2012

HIGH COURT ACTION AGAINST THE DISTRICT COUNCIL

A partnership called Cogent Land LLP have commenced an action in the High Court over the District Council’s Core Strategy. In fact they are asking for parts of it to be quashed.

These people are not environmental campaigners but state that they own the freehold on land south of Stambridge Road, on the east side of Rochford (which has not been included for development in the Core Strategy)

The website for Cogent Property Solutions, which has links with Cogent Land, is here.
The High Court claim number is CO/605/2012, although there doesn’t seem to be a way of finding it online.

Meanwhile. the Core Strategy remains in place despite the High Court Action.

We’d like to thank Cllr Keith Hudson of informing other councillors about this – and as a legal precaution, comments on this item are disabled.

January 23rd, 2012

FOUNTAINS GOES INTO ADMINISTRATION

Bad news today.

Fountains, the company that is the grounds maintenance contractor in our district, has gone into administration.

They have the contracts for a number of councils around the country – another one is Norwich. In some cases the contracts are being taken over by another company, OCS Group – but this isn’t happening in Rochford.

Our hearts go out tonight to the employees of Fountains.

As far as the council is concerned, senior offficers of the council are in urgent meetings, making sure that arrangements are in place for the really urgent stuff, such as issues involving the cemetery.

In the long term councillors will have to decide what to do with the contract.

January 22nd, 2012

Some Of the New Planning Applications – Jan 20th

The latest list of new planning applications can be found on the District Council website here. It’s the list dated January 20th.

Once again, most of the applications are for small scale stuff like extensions. But the list also includes:

12/00001/FUL Parish: Rochford Parish Council
Ward: Rochford
Responsibility: Committee/Weekly List
Proposal: Demolition Existing Dwelling and Detached Garage and Construct Two Semi-Detached Three Bedroomed Chalets
Location: 23 The Drive Rochford Essex

12/00014/FUL Parish: Hawkwell Parish Council
Ward: Hawkwell West
Responsibility: Committee/Weekly List
Proposal: Proposed Road Traffic Collision Training Compound, Fenced And Gated To Enclose A De-Brief Shelter, Road Barrier, Lamp Post
(Non-Illuminated) And Ditch And A Proposed Working At Heights Training Tower To Include 6.5m Tower With Screen
Location: Fire Station Main Road Hawkwell

Have we missed out anything important? If we have, please let us know.

January 21st, 2012

Holocaust Memorial Day on Jan 27th

From the District Council website:


Rochford District Council will be holding a public service followed by a survivors story in The Mill Hall. Held at the special commissioned memorial in Bellingham Lane, Rayleigh outside The Mill Arts & Events Centre.
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27th January 2012 12 – 2.30pm
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To book and for more details contact:
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Julia Mitchell
julia.mitchell@rochford.gov.uk

January 20th, 2012

Quiz Nights, Creepy Tales and Farmers Markets

The Hawkwell Residents Association have compiled quite a respectable calendar of social events on their website here. It includes a quiz night every 3rd Wednesday in the month, numerous coach trips run by Hockley Residents Association, Hockley Farmers markets, a St Georges Day celebration, and productions by Southend Operatic and Dramatic Society.

Worth a look, especially if you live in that part of the district.

One of the highlights could be:

16/03/2012 – Kill or Cure – a Hockley Residents Association Coach Trip. This is a coach tour with a guide. After coffee (included in cost) we explore the history of medicine in London from Roman times to the present day. We will hear creepy tales of body snatchers and barber surgeons; heroic tales of scientific endeavour and inspiring tales of personal sacrifice. We have our lunch in Holborn (main course included in price). Our afternoon is devoted to one of the newest and most attractive collections in London at Sir Henry Wellcome’s Museum. His first invention was invisible ink, and he went on to invent the medicinal tablet and establish the pharmaceutical giant Burroughs Wellcome. The medicine Man gallery is home for mind boggling objects gathered from around the world. We will have afternoon tea here before heading for home. For an up to date list of coach trips with pickup points in Hawkwell please click on: Coach Trips 2012 , or contact Brian O’shea on or email brian.oshea@hockleyresidents.co.uk .

January 19th, 2012

Last Night’s Development Committee Meeting….

Last night’s meeting was about a planning application on some Green Belt land north of Hall Road , Rochford. It was an outline application for 600 homes, a new primary school and some new public open space.

The public gallery was full of concerned Rochford residents, with some unable to get in. (They could listen upstairs).Incidentally, the public were impreccably behaved. they were concerned about lots of things, including the loss of greeen fields, increased traffic, and a change in the character of the area.

The key factor in the discussions was that last month the District Council approved the new core strategy, which included 600 new homes in West Rochford! Every Conservative councillor present at the December meeting voted for the strategy. It’s fairly easy to vote for a strategy when the public gallery is virtually empty. It’s not so comfortable when the public gallery is packed with people bitterly unhappy about part of that strategy. The one resident who was allowed to speak, a gentleman from Hall Road, pitched his argument to councillors very well, not acting like a NIMBY but criticising the application in terms of planning policies.

Because the application was simply an outline for the 600 homes / school/ open space, there weren’t any details to discuss, or details that could be used to frame a reason for refusal. All that was really left was three questions.:

  • Could you refuse the scheme on the grounds of it being environmentally unsustainable when a month before the council had said that the whole core strategy was sustainable?
  • Could you argue that another site in West Rochford could be used instead?
  • Could you argue that the application was premature – that it should be decided later?
  • The ward councillors were in a difficullt position. Cllr Mrs Lucas-Gill began by admitting that she had voted for the core strategy, but only to stop other predatory developers from swooping on sites. She argued with some passion against the application, especially about the highways impact. Mrs Lucas-Gill then moved refusal on the grounds of “Unsustainability”. She was supported on this by her fellow ward councillors Keith Gordon and James Cottis. Cllr Cottis said that residents shoudl write to complain to the government, and made some comments about the Tory Secretary of State, Eric Pickles.

    Mrs Lucas Gill got some support from Hullbridge Green Councillor Michael Hoy, who was probably the councillor who looked most at ease last night – having been elected on a mandate from Hullbridge residents to oppose the core strategy , having opposed the core strategy in teh coucnil chamber , he had nothing to be embarrassed about.

    However the Rochford Councillors didn’t much support from elsewhere. Chris Black said that it was too late to oppose it on the grounds of sustainability – the time for that was earlier. Though he thought there might be some scope fore refusal on the grounds of prematurity.

    In the end the scheme was passed, with only 4 Tories, the Greens and the Rochford Residents Association Councillors voting against. The Tories voted overwhelmingly in favour, Lib Dems either voted in favour of abstained.

    =========
    PS When these sites went out for consultation in 2010, the number of objections from the public were roughly as follows:

    Land North of London Road, Rayleigh – 196
    West Rochford – 16
    West Hockley – 481
    South West Hullbridge 867

    It hasn’t the outcome (the District Coucnil has pressed on everywhere desite objections) But why the big difference in the number of responses?

    January 18th, 2012

    BREAKING NEWS: Rochford Housing Application Passed

    The outline application for 600 homes north of Hall Road, Rochford, was passed tonight.

    A more detailed report tomorrow….

    January 17th, 2012

    Some Of The New Planning Applications – Jan 13th

    The latest list of new planning applications can be found on the District Council website here. It’s the list dated January 13th.

    Most of the applications this week are for small scale stuff like extensions. But there are a few slightly bigger ones:

    11/00757/FUL
    Parish: Rayleigh Town Council Ward: Whitehouse
    Proposal:
    Application to vary condition 5 of planning permission ROC/767/85 from ‘no retail sales shall take place from the site’ to a new condition 5 as follows:- ‘Partial retail sales shall take place on the site on up to two days per week including weekends’
    Location: Units 1 To 4 Brook Road Industrial Estate Brook Road

    /00773/OUT Parish: Hockley Parish Council Ward: Hockley North
    Proposal: Outline Application to Provide One Dwelling
    Location: Land Between 283 And 289 Plumberow Avenue Hockley

    11/00785/FUL
    Parish: Rochford Parish Council Ward: Rochford
    Proposal:
    Convert Part of First Floor to Offices, Store Meeting Room and Museum. Provide Two Storey Flat Roof Front Extension to Provide Entrance Lobby and Lift and Make External Alterations Providing Revised Windows and Doors
    Location: Saxon Hall Aviation Way Rochford

    Have we missed out anything important? If we have, please let us know.

    By the way, coincidentally, District Councillors met at Saxon Hall (the Masonic Centre) last Saturday on a council-organised ‘awayday’ to discuss the councils budget.

    January 16th, 2012

    “A Most Disgusting Stench”

    We’ve been contacted this evening by a resident in the plotlands area of Rawreth – complaining about a ‘most disgusting stench’. Possibly from the sewage works (although maybe the wind direction isn’t right for that?)

    Anybody else smelling this? And if so roughly where did you live?

    January 15th, 2012

    Who Should Be Our District’s Citizen Of The Year ?

    It’s time to suggest names for Rochford District’s Citizen Of the Year .

    As the District Council website explains:

    If you know of someone in District who deserves an Award – then the Chairman of Rochford District Council wants to hear from you!
    We’re looking for extraordinary people, of all ages, who, even though they may not seek it, truly deserve recognition.
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    The Awards are made by the Council to recognise and acknowledge individuals of the District for their valuable hard work or outstanding achievements. The Awards are designed to honour those who may not normally be recognised for their efforts.
    _
    Nominations are open to all, and will be considered by the Judging Panel who will select winners in the three categories. An overall winner will also be chosen from the three category winners.
    _
    The categories are:
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    • Young Citizen (under 18 Years)
    • Charitable Support (All Age Groups)
    • Community Spirit (All Age Groups)

    Further details are here.

    A good example of a past winner is Adam Mapleson.

    January 14th, 2012

    Failed Streetlights And Another Pothole

    Two new items on FixMyStreet today:

    Failed lighting in Priory Chase and Temple Way, Rayleigh:

    Street lighting
    Reported in the Street lighting category anonymously at 12:37 today; the map was not used so pin location may be inaccurate
    Sent to Essex County Council 3 minutes later

    At least 3 street lights in Priory Chase are out. Also at least 5 on TEMPLE WAY at various locations throughout the estate.

    and yet another pothole, this one at the entrance to Rochford Hall Close,Rochford (with a photo attached)

    Pot holes at entrance of Rochford Hall Close.
    Reported by iPhone in the Potholes category by Michael Hoy at 15:43 today
    Sent to Essex County Council 2 minutes later

    Very bad potholes and broken surface at entrance to the road with poor surface continuing as you move into the road.

    January 13th, 2012

    Park Considerately, Save Lives

    A group has been launched on Facebook called “Park Considerately, Save Lives”

    It’s described as follows:

    To encourage considerate parking within Essex to allow our emergency workers clear access in our hour of need!
    _
    Despite the risks, poor parking remains a huge problem for our emergency services to deal with when attending emergencies, with cars double parking so badly even police cars struggle to get through, let alone fire engines needing to get to the burning house down the street.
    _
    What I need the people of Essex to do is name and shame all the problem roads on here, so we can get an idea of where the problems lay and can then work on dealing with it to make our roads safer and access clear for the emergency services in our hour of need

    Any thoughts?

    January 12th, 2012

    Hall Road Application Comes Up Next Wednesday

    There’s an extra meeting of the Distict Council Development Committee next Wednesday 18th January.

    It’s to discuss just one application – but its one of the biggest we’ve ever seen in the district. This is for about 600 new homes , a new primary school and new public open space off Hall Road in rochford.

    It’s got it’s own webpage on the council website here. The officers report for teh application is pretty massive – about 88 pages. You can download that report here. (2.4 Mb)

    Such a long report is difficult to summarise in a few sentences. But the essentials are:

  • This is only an outline application – all the details would follow later.
  • The District Council’s new Core Strategy includes this amount of housing in “West Rochford” -but not specifically in this location.
  • Officers believe this is the best location in West Rochford, and recommend that the council tells the government it supports the application.
  • Local residents are objecting
  • There is a lot of stuff here for councillors to study before the meeting.

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