If you are interested in history, or in ships, you might like to read a new 22-page booklet called “London Gateway – A Maritime History”. You can download it here

Did you know that the first signs of river travel in the Thames area is actually a bronze age paddle found at Canewdon? It’s about 3,500 years old. Then there’s the wreck of a Roman ship found at Blackfriars with a cargo of stone, the Anglo-Saxon ship carrying hops, the navy ship “London” that suffered an explosion in 1665 killing 300 people, and many more wrecks from the last two centuries…. There were many ships and planes lost during World War Two….

May 15th, 2013 | Category: Canewdon & Around, History and Culture, Shipping | Leave a comment

Here’s some more information about our candidate Debbie Taylor, who is standing in Rochford North:

April 30th, 2013 | Category: Ashingdon, Canewdon & Around | Leave a comment

Here are some new reports that people have made on FixMyStreet. Let’s hope the County Council respond quickly….

This evening , a dangerous pothole in Hulbridge Road Rayleigh:

February 23rd, 2013 | Category: Canewdon & Around, Highways & Parking, Rawreth, Rayleigh, Rochford | Comments (11)

Three Conservatives have put forward a motion for tomorrow night’s meeting of Full Council; it’s from Terry Cutmore, Keith Hudson and Heather Glynn:

‘This Council calls on the Royal Mail to reconsider very carefully the proposals to relocate the delivery offices currently available in Canewdon, Great Wakering and Rochford town.
Whilst noting the need for efficiency, the Council is concerned for the service level available for elderly and disabled residents as well as residents without transport in respect of the collection of non-delivered items and business collections of mail.
We trust that the Royal Mail will make their concluding decisions taking these matters fully into account.’

October 22nd, 2012 | Category: Canewdon & Around, Conservatives, Rochford, Wakering & Foulness | Leave a comment

Black tailed Godwit (RSPB illustration)

There’s a lot going at Wallasea Island.
Remember this is a conservation project on a scale never before attempted in the UK….
It deserves to be better known!

Last month McDonalds and the Council did their bit clearing up rubbish:

The teams from four McDonalds’ branches in Southend are usually better known for their burger sales, but this week came along on a litter pick very different from those they are used to. Following on from our successful Shoreline Scavenge last year, we invited them to come along and help us clear the shores of some of the flotsam and jetsam that washes up with every tide.
Many thanks to the council staff who brought the truck along to take away that which could not be used on site and we look forward to working with you all again on another project soon. Maybe you’ll bring the picnic next time?

Also last month the first cargo of material from the Crossrail Project arrived by ship.

On September 22nd and 23rd, they have a Wild Coast Weekend:

Wild Coast Weekend
Saturday 22 September and Sunday 23 September
11am to 5pm
Price: FREE
A celebration of the rich heritage of Wallasea Island for all the family.
You can escape to the edges of the Wild Coast for a breath of fresh air and a look at a reserve in the making.
Then savour the best of local food and drink, relax to the sounds of some of Essex’s finest musicians, and marvel at the skills of traditional craftsmen of the area.
There’s room for everyone and something of interest for all the family.

And on the following weekend, they have guided walks:

Wallasea Wanders
Saturday 29 September 2012
Times are dictated by tides – please contact office for booking and times
Price: FREE
Booking essential
Take a Wander along the seawall with the Wallasea Birder and project volunteers.
Watch the landscape change with the seasons .
And be inspired by the sheer scale of the Wild Coast on your doorstep.
Directions
Wallasea Island – meeting at the Wetlands carpark, 3/4 of a mile beyond Grapnell’s Farm yard.

September 7th, 2012 | Category: Canewdon & Around, Events, Flora And Fauna, Shipping | Comments (1)

The first shipload of earth from the London Crossrail project is due to arrive at Wallasea Island on August 20th.

It’s part of a very important conservation project.

Why is the earth needed? The RSPB website explains here:

The island is on average 2 metres below sealevel, having eroded over the years of intensive farm activity, so in order to restore the old marshland the landscape must be built up in carefully planned, natural levels gently sloping up to the new seawall bunds which will eventually provide extensive foot and cycle path access to many areas of the island.
Crossrail’s first ship will arrive on Monday August 20th, when the unloading facility – the pontoon which arrived at Easter and the 800 metre conveyor belt which has been under construction since last Autumn – will be tested and seen in action for the very first time.

August 15th, 2012 | Category: Canewdon & Around, Green Issues | Leave a comment

From Fixmystreet today, about Mill Lane in Stambridge:

May 8th, 2012 | Category: Canewdon & Around, Highways & Parking | Leave a comment

There were three decisions taken at last night’s meeting of the Development Committee:

Extra house in London Road, refused. This was an application for an extra house by Pearson’s Farm , London Road, Rayleigh. It was refused for a whole series of reasons, including awkward , sub-standard garden size, and any vehicles visiting needing to reverse out onto the main road.

Extension To Southend Airport Terminal , with five more aircraft stands , passed. There were some strong objections from residents, however the key factor for most councillors was that the limit of 53,300 (plus 5,300 cargo) aircraft movements a year would still apply. One of the ward councillors, Keith Gordon , moved approval, neither of the other ward councillors wanted to speak and rather to everyone else’s surprise a vote was then taken very quickly. The application was passed overwhelmingly, with only Councillors Michael and Diane Hoy voting against.

Cricket Pitch in Stambridge Road , Stambridge , passed. Council planners had originally recommended refusal becasue there had been no floood risk assessment. However an assessment had now been carried out so the application was passed.

April 20th, 2012 | Category: Airport, Canewdon & Around, Leisure and Sport, Planning Applications, Rayleigh, Rochford | Leave a comment

Last week we wrote about a planning application for a cricket pitch in Stambridge that was recommended for refusal because there had been no flood risk assessment carried out.

This has now been ‘called in’ by one of the ward councillors, Terry Cutmore, and it will now be decided at the committee meeting on April 19th.

There are two likely reasons for calling it in. Either to get it approved, or to add more reasons for refusal. Either way, there could be an interesting debate.

April 13th, 2012 | Category: Canewdon & Around, Leisure and Sport, Planning Applications | Leave a comment

There’s a planning application in for a cricket pitch at “Land East Of Land Adjacent Broomhills, Stambridge Road, Stambridge”.

The site is currently used for agriculture, however the plan is to make it into a cricket pitch for Rankin’s Cricket Club.

However there is a snag. The land is in a flood risk area – flood zone 3, in fact, which means the land has a high probability of being flooded. If you apply for planning permission in this flood zone, you need to carry out a flood risk assessment. The applicants apparently haven’t done this, so for that reason alone officers are recommending refusal:

REFUSE
The proposed cricket pitch which is located within flood zone 3, due to the absence of a flood risk assessment, is considered to be contrary to the National Planning Policy Framework and policy ENV3 of the Core Strategy. Without such an assessment the Local Planning Authority cannot fully assess the proposal and its potential impact in terms of flooding.

So the application will be refused unless any district councillor ‘calls it in’ by 1 pm on Wednesday.

You can download the officers report here. (141kb)

April 6th, 2012 | Category: Canewdon & Around, Leisure and Sport, Planning Applications | Comments (1)

What HAVE they found on Wallasea Island as part of the Wild Coast project?

It was the motor of a German V2 rocket from World War 2 – presumably heading towards Rochford, or Rayleigh, or London…. which thankfully landed too early.

Find out much more about this discovery here.

Find out more about V2s attacking London here.

March 31st, 2012 | Category: Canewdon & Around, History and Culture | Leave a comment