onlineFOCUS – News and Stuff For Rochford District since 2003

Lib Dem Brentwood Councillor Karen Chilvers has just been on the ITV quiz “The Chase”. See how she got on here.

| Category: YouTube and Video | Comments (3)

Another change in the national planning rules is supposed to help retain the viability and vitality of town centres. The government will allow a range of buildings to be converted to other uses for up to two years without planning permission. So buildings can have their uses changed to shops, financial and professional uses , restaurants and cafes, or offices, for up to 2 years without needing planning permission.

David Mitchell writes about this today in the Observer, and he isn’t impressed:

Unfortunately, having identified the problem, Pickles’s attempt to solve it is perverse. He’s going to relax the planning rules which restrict how buildings are used. It will be a lot easier to use places currently classified as shops, restaurants, offices or leisure facilities as other things. For example, you’ll be allowed to use empty offices as residential property, convert anything into a school, or open a shop or restaurant in an agricultural building, all without planning permission.
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How is that supposed to help our high streets? They’re full of premises currently designated as shops, restaurants or cafes. For these areas to look and be prosperous, they need to be filled with profit-making shops, restaurants or cafes. We don’t want them converted into anything else, because then those streets won’t be high streets any more. And how is allowing people to open exactly the sort of business that was once the preserve of the high street in any barn anywhere going to drive commerce back to our historic trading hubs? Surely it will have the opposite effect.

By the way, this is the David Mitchell who is a comedy writer and performer. Which gives us an excuse to include one of his sketches:

| Category: Planning Policy, YouTube and Video | Click here to leave a comment

Another new government announcement is that when a council operates a “Community Infrastructure Levy” on developers (which Rochford will introduce eventually) 15% of the money will be passed to the relevant Parish/Town Council where development is taking place with, apparently, no rules over how this cash can be spent…

| Category: Coalition Government, Future Housing, Local Democracy, Local Facilities | Comments (25)

Are you spending too much time on the computer, reading too many emails and clicking on too many facebook items? Need to relax? Try slowing down for two minutes and just listen to the waves of the sea….

Go to http://www.donothingfor2minutes.com/

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Someone asked onlineFOCUS for the timetable for the no.3 bus service to Hyde Hall (a lovely place to visit, especially when the weather is good). We have emailed the timetable to that person, but for anyone else who is interested, here is the timetable. (click on the images to enlarge them)

| Category: Essex & East, Public Transport | Click here to leave a comment

One of the strongest planning powers a council has is to issue a ‘temporary stop notice’. So for example, if someone is building a big structure completely without the required planning permission,a council can serve a stop notice that legally prevents them from continuing. But there are risks involved for the council – if they get things wrong, and serve a notice without good reason, they can end up paying compensation.

Until now, councils could NOT serve temporary stop notices in respect of caravans being used as main residences. However, councillors learned at a training session today that the rules have been changed. Councils are now allowed to do this.

If you think there is somewhere that suddenly needs a temporary stop notice involving new caravans, contact the District Council planning enforcement team on 01702 318022 and also let your ward councillors know. If it is outside normal working hours contact the council after hours number on 01268 527317.

For any lawyers reading this, the new regulation is the Town and Country Planning (Temporary Stop Notice) (England) (Revocation) Regulations 2013.SI 2013/830.

| Category: Legal Stuff, Planning Applications | Click here to leave a comment

The District Council website mentions that the play “The Admirable Crichton” is on at the Mill Arts And Events Centre on the 16th , 17th and 18th May , performed by Rayleigh Operatic & Dramatic Society:

Thursday 16th, Friday 17th and Saturday 18th May at 7:30pm, additional matinee on Saturday 18th May at 2:00pm.
Tickets cost £10 adults & £8 concessions and are available from our Box Office on 01268 771751

More information here on the District Council website.
However it’s a bit odd that there’s almost no info on the Mill’s website:

| Category: Events, History and Culture, Rayleigh | Click here to leave a comment

This month Rayleigh Through The Looking Glass has a special feature on comic postcards. You can find them here.

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Rayleigh Town Council have been very active in revitalising Rayleigh market. Up till now the comments we’ve heard about this have been generally very positive.

The Town Council are now applying to the District Council for planning permission, to cover the market on Wednesdays as it is now, but also for weekends and bank holidays and the Christmas Lights Event.

To quote from the officers report:

Planning permission is sought to operate an open air market within Rayleigh
High Street on Wednesdays (this is already occurring so is retrospective),
weekends, bank holidays and at the Christmas lights event.
+
The purpose of this application is to gain planning permission to avoid the
need to submit separate Street Trading Consent applications each year for
such markets which cost the Town Council £250 each. The Wednesday
market occurs on a weekly basis. The Town Council also wish to arrange
occasional weekend/Bank Holiday markets in the High Street. These may be
themed such as farmers markets, continental markets, or
second hand good markets.
+
The Wednesday market is held on 52 Wednesdays of the year and
one Christmas Event is currently held. The Town Council has advised that
they are willing to cooperate with RDC/ECC regarding the number of times a year
that markets may be held.
+
The Wednesday market is currently open for custom between the hours of
7:30 and 4, these hours are also sought for the possible weekend/bank
holiday markets.
+ Whilst the Wednesday market currently only operates on the
taxi rank side of the High Street, ECC is currently progressing an application
to allow more stalls on the other side of the High Street and this application
seeks consent for the market to occur on both sides of the High Street from
the top of Crown Hill to the clock at Bellingham Lane. The Christmas lights
event festive market is usually held on the last Thursday in November
however, this date has to be flexible. This market extends beyond the
Wednesday market positioning sought, extending up to Church Street. The
weekend/bank holiday markets would occur in the same positioning as the
Wednesday market but excluding the taxi rank.

Officers are recommending approval. However the application has attracted some negative comments:

LOCAL RESIDENTS
-
5 responses received (23 Bowbank Close Shoebury,
63 Bowers Road Benfleet, 3 Nevern Road Rayleigh, Martin McColl 71 High
Street, unknown address) which can be summarised as follows:
Taxi rank related concerns:
o
Wednesdays already a problem as public park in designated taxi areas
and market overruns by at least half an hour.
o
Elderly people get confused as to where they pick up their cab from
with some finding it a real struggle to get across the road and half way
up the hill to get a taxi.
o
Saturdays and bank holidays are busy times for taxi drivers and the
high street with all the taxis on the main road it will only add to the
congestion.
There are many other places to hold a weekend and bank holiday
market with parking facilities so confused as to why, as difficult as it is
already for us to earn a living, the Council is considering taking prime
times away from us.
o
This will affect a lot of drivers in the area to appease a handful of
traders who would do better to use the indoor market area provided or
one of the three half filled car parks or even the rear of the indoor
market.
o
If the market is just going to be up the high street this would not be a
problem.
o
Drivers were told that this market would only happen one day a week.
o
Please do not use the taxi rank area on any more days for the market.
Despite what you may think, the elderly and many disabled residents
rely on the local taxi service to move around this town and get to the
shops.
o
The designated taxi drop off and pick up areas are not an appropriate
replacement. We have the added danger of doors having to be opened
onto live traffic. That is if a taxi can get into these areas. Taxi drivers
are “fighting” a constant battle with members of the public who continue
to use these areas for private cars. When it is made known to them that
on Wednesdays the use of these areas is for taxis only and are asked
to move on more often than not we receive abusive replies.
Concerns from local shop:
o
Since the introduction of the market I have had terrible problems with
shoplifting on a Wednesday so much so that I have to patrol the front of
my store during these periods, I have on several occasions had to call
police for assistance.
o
We have a few stalls in the market selling ourproducts or linked
products. Whilst I feel it is healthy to have competition I feel a sweet
stall directly outside my store of detriment to us.
o
On numerous occasions rubbish has been left out by the stall holders
and general public bins being over filled which is obviously not a great
advert for our high street that we all wish to promote.
o
Increasing the days of the market I believe would be of detriment firstly
to my own store and the high street with traffic issues especially on a
Saturday making this area not viable for shopping. I feel very strongly
about this and would be happier for it to remain one day a week as I
cannot police my store all these days.
o
Maybe more time and effort could be put into filling our vacant shops to
help promote Rayleigh as the place to shop.
General:
o
I think Wednesdays work well as a novelty once a week. As the old
saying goes sometimes less is more.
o
It causes problems for taxies and local traders and from speaking to
people some older residents avoid going out Wednesday as it’s just too
crowded for them.

Any thoughts?

You can download the officers report here.

Legal note: Ron and Bruce are members of the Town Council. Chris will, as legally required, not make his mind up in advance of any committee meeting.

| Category: Planning Applications, Rayleigh, Retail | Comments (5)

Although the Conservatives took a battering last Thursday, they are still in control of Essex County Council. They have just chosen a new leader and deputy leader, to replace their previous leader who stepped down.

The new leader is David Finch, who was previously deputy leader and represents Hedingham. Rather confusingly, according to the County Council, his home address is Blacksmiths Cottage
Borley, Nr Sudbury , Suffolk. But it seems that the village of Borley is indeed just inside the boundaries of Essex.

The new deputy leader is Kevin Bentley, who represents Stanway and Pyefleet and lives on Mersea Island.

| Category: Conservatives, Essex & East | Comments (13)

The Recycling Centre in Castle Road, Rayleigh is grinding to a halt this morning. Because so many people have been going there this weekend nearly all the skips are full, so as at 11 am this morning they are using a dustcart parked inside to take most of the stuff . That’s making it harder for drivers to get out of there after they’ve unloaded their stuff….

| Category: Rayleigh, Recycling and Waste | Click here to leave a comment