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Council to vote on planning for 131 new homes on Wednesday 9th Feb

OldBlueLady

Junior Blues Coordinator⭐⭐
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Little story reported in the Echo about a vote this coming Wednesday, where the Council is recommending approval of housing plans - includes diplomatic quotes from our own @Cockle43 :


"CONTROVERSIAL plans for 131 new homes near Waitrose in Southend are set to win approval, despite an avalanche of 1,000 objections from people opposed to the scheme.

The new development is planned for a 15-acre plot at the back of the supermarket and near to B&Q.

The site neighbours land earmarked for the new Southend United football stadium and hundreds more homes.
The land for 131 homes was formerly owned by the NHS, but cash-strapped Southend Hospital gave up on its plans to use the land for a diagnostic and treatment centre back in 2014.

The land was sold to Homes England – a Government department - and was initially earmarked for more than 400 homes.

The latest outline plans, submitted by Homes England, include a mix of 60 two-bedroom flats in blocks that are up to four-storeys high.

In addition, there would be a mix of three and four-bedroom houses.

While 40 of the homes must be classed as affordable housing, it is feared many of the homes will cost in excess of £300,000.

Campaigners have previously urged Homes England to build affordable homes on the site to quench the need for social housing across Southend.

Trevor Harp, Southend Independent councillor for St Luke’s ward, said: “My view is that, since it was taken over by Homes England, we should have as many affordable homes there as we can.

“I would love to see it used for housing for essential workers.

“It would be an ideal opportunity to provide good housing for NHS workers and to attract more into the area because Southend struggles for staff.

“I’m relieved there will some affordable housing but I hope it will be truly affordable homes.

“My guess is that the three and four-bedroom homes will be quite expensive as they are right on the border with Rochford and currently overlook open green fields.”

The proposed development is near Prittlewell Camp, a scheduled monument.

Heritage campaigners Historic England has raised concerns about the Prittlewell Camp, which consists of buried archaeological remains of a late Bronze Age and early Iron Age hill fort.

It is a designated as a heritage asset and protected by law. Part of the camp sits within the boundary of the development.

A report to planning officers said the development would encroach on the camp, but Historic England concluded the development would be acceptable if a planned programme of conservation work on the camp could be carried out via a legal agreement with Homes England.

If the plans get the green light, a further Section 106 financial contribution of £368,290 would also be required towards secondary education at Chase High School or another secondary school within acceptable travel distance.

The development control committee will consider the application on Wednesday. Officers have recommended approval of the plans."
 
Actually that was Christine Sexton being a bit diplomatic on my behalf...

In our interview I'd actually mentioned that I was supportive of the aims of the groups wanting it to be 100% affordable/social rent level housing as it had been publicly owned land earmarked for increased health facility provision before the NHS agency moved it on to Homes England and that I felt publicly owned land should have been used to help with our housing crisis and not moved on to a developer to profit from.
Bit radical, I know, but I do like the idea of good housing being available for everyone and think that we should try and make that happen wherever we can...

To be fair the three and four bedroom homes might not be quite so attractive when we build a stadium as the next door neighbour!
 
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That area is going to be grid-locked, it's bad enough as it is already. Same with Rayleigh, total traffic carnage yet their building hundreds more house near makro and even more just down the road at the start of Hullbridge. Going to be even more of a nightmare than it is already.
 
That area is going to be grid-locked, it's bad enough as it is already. Same with Rayleigh, total traffic carnage yet their building hundreds more house near makro and even more just down the road at the start of Hullbridge. Going to be even more of a nightmare than it is already.
Although there will be more housing in the area not all the householders will hit the road at the same time. Match day traffic will of course be busy but just for an hour or two on 25 days each year out of 365. I do think the so called traffic problem is OTT.
 
Although there will be more housing in the area not all the householders will hit the road at the same time. Match day traffic will of course be busy but just for an hour or two on 25 days each year out of 365. I do think the so called traffic problem is OTT.
Of course everyone won't be on the road at the same time but at peak times their will be more than there was previously, there's no doubt about that. If you live or go through these area's (especially Rayleigh) then you'll know the roads are literally horrendous as it is, let alone with (again in Rayleigh's case) hundreds of more cars on the road, it will be horrific.
 
"Affordable Housing" ?
Yes quite
Had this discussion with my local councillor (in Kent) who, when I was moaning about all the focus being on the elderly and 4/5 bed houses, and the fact we were driving all our young out of the villages as there was nowhere for them to get on the housing ladder.

I was then told but we do make sure there is affordable housing

An example a development with "affordable housing" with 2/3 bed terraced housing at £320k!!! And they apparently meet the definition of "affordable..."

I gently took her thriough the following.

Average salary in this part ofd the world £18k
Couple £36k
Max can borrow 4.5x = £162k
Hence deposit need = £158k

It is shameful that "affordable housing" is not affordable housing at all..
 
Yes quite
Had this discussion with my local councillor (in Kent) who, when I was moaning about all the focus being on the elderly and 4/5 bed houses, and the fact we were driving all our young out of the villages as there was nowhere for them to get on the housing ladder.

I was then told but we do make sure there is affordable housing

An example a development with "affordable housing" with 2/3 bed terraced housing at £320k!!! And they apparently meet the definition of "affordable..."

I gently took her thriough the following.

Average salary in this part ofd the world £18k
Couple £36k
Max can borrow 4.5x = £162k
Hence deposit need = £158k

It is shameful that "affordable housing" is not affordable housing at all..

It's an absolute joke but I'm not sre you're figures are correct of the average salary unless it includes part time work?

Minimum wage jobs are around £18k for full time work, the average salary will be well above that figure but still not enough to be 'affordable'
 
I had a quick look for mortgage multiples and 4½ times salary was available. So £26,000 * 4.5= £117,000. Deposit therefore £158,000 for a one-bed flat in Corringham.
 
All the new builds and resultant traffic, congestion and pollution are an obvious but covert scheme to max up the infra structure crisis and force through a new East Southend, Sutton, Ashingdon, Hullbridge/Rettendon relief road to A12/A130
 
It's an absolute joke but I'm not sre you're figures are correct of the average salary unless it includes part time work?

Minimum wage jobs are around £18k for full time work, the average salary will be well above that figure but still not enough to be 'affordable'
Yes- I was imprecise- the average LOCAL salary. Yes we are commuter belt and there are plenty of middle aged commuters happy to pull the drawbridge up after them :-) But if you are working locally it is low, and more so if you are young..

Average is a bad measure- median or mode would be better (midpoint or most common I suppose).

Anyhow cut me some slack..I'm nearly 60 and my brain has been seriously traumatised by successive relegations... :-) :-)
 
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