Wild Woods Day

Hockley Woods will be hosting their 10th Wild Woods day on Saturday 1st June, between 11.00am and 4.00pm.   As it says on Rochford Council’s website.

“Wild Woods Day is a popular family event which happens each June in Hockley Woods.

The event offers a range of arts, sports and leisure activities and a focus on ‘green’ themes including recycling, sustainability and protecting the local environment.”

Attractions will include

• 
  Live Music
• Archery
• 
  Geocaching
• 
  Fencing
• 
  Rare Owls
• Chainsaw Wood Carving
• Boccia
•  ‘Make and Take”
• art activities
• Climbing Wall
• Under 5’s area
• Pop-up Market

There is no parking on site but a shuttle bus will operate from Hockley Community Centre (In Westminster Drive).  You can find out more about Hockley woods at hockleywoods.com, an independently run website.

Rochford West Election Results

Hi

Thank you very much to all those who voted for me.  The results for Rochford West were as follows

Michael Hoy (Green)           1,615 (Elected)
Keith Hudson (Conservative)     1,279
Cherry Young (UKIP)                       878
Rachael Broomfield (Labour)       344
Ian Gale (Lib Dem)                                74

Pot Holes

One of the things I have brought up in this election is the small amount Essex County Council spends on pot holes in this part of the County.

I do walk the roads fairly often and report potholes and other road problems to Essex County Council.    However it is very hit and miss whether a repair will take place and the standards Essex Highways currently have fall far short of what most people would regard as reasonable.

Below are some pictures I have taken today of pot holes in Kendal Close in Hullbridge, I have reported these at least three times over the last year and still they remain.  I have reported them again today, these will be some of many I hope to follow-up with greater authority if I am fortunate enough to be elected on 2nd May.  I have used the shoe to obtain a sense of scale, a tip learned from Cllr Chris Black.

Broken Kerb in Kendal Close, Hullbridge

 

One of around 10 pot holes in Kendal Close, Hullbridge

Obviously Kendal Close is not the only road with problems and I will be reporting them all as I come across them, again.

Hockley Area Action Plan sent to the Government Inspector

The Hockley Area Action Plan (HAAP) which has received over 780 responses, the vast majority unfavourable responses to the retail part alone, has finally been submitted to the Government Inspectorate.  The District Council site says

The Hockley Area Action Plan Submission Document was submitted to the government for independent examination on 18 April 2013. This document sets out specific policies for guiding future development within the centre of Hockley.

In addition to the Hockley Area Action Plan Submission Document, the Council also submitted a number of supporting documents to the Secretary of State. These include the representations submitted during pre-submission consultation, as well as the results of previous community involvement and other evidence.

An Inspector will be appointed to conduct the examination.  Further information on the examination will be published here as and when it becomes available.

Once we have dates for the pre-hearing meetings and hearings we will let you know but it is looking like mid to late summer at the moment.  Anyone who has submitted “evidence” to the HAAP should be kept up to date by the council.

Update on The 500 Houses

Rochford have submitted the Allocations Document for their plans concerning the whole of the District to the Government for independent examination.  They have said

The Allocations Submission Document was submitted to the government for independent examination on 18 April 2013. This document sets out specific sites which are proposed to be allocated for a range of uses including residential, employment and open space.

In addition to the Allocations Submission Document, the Council also submitted a number of supporting documents to the Secretary of State. These include the representations submitted during pre-submission consultation, as well as the results of previous community involvement and other evidence.

An Inspector will be appointed to conduct the examination.  Further information on the examination will be published here as and when it becomes available.

The documents submitted can be seen here.  For Hullbridge this will include the 500 houses proposed for the West of the village, which the Council received over 190 responses to, nearly unanimous in their objecting to the building on a number of grounds.

We will advise you when the inspector is appointed and of the pre meeting hearings and the hearings themselves.

Green Party Leader to visit to Hockley & Hullbridge

Natalie Bennett, leader of the Green Party, has announced that she will be visiting Hockley & Hullbridge on Monday 22nd April.

Hockley & Hullbridge form part of the Rochford West Division at Essex County Council and Michael Hoy (District Councillor for Hullbridge) is engaged in a close fight to gain the seat from the Conservatives.

Rattled Tories?

It seems the Tories are getting rattled.  Michael has had a phone call today (number withheld and wouldn’t give a name) from someone receiving our postal vote leaflet.

They were complaining that the leaflet said we were in with a good chance of winning the Rochford West Division when combining last years District results and then went on to say, in brackets, that Green candidate Diane Hoy gained 64% of the vote.  The caller suggested that “people less educated than us” wouldn’t understand that it meant Diane won the seat she holds in Hullbridge with 64%.

They then went on to accuse us of misleading people about the fact we said we led the campaign to get Watery Lane opened.  If you look at the pages on here and the number of times Michael visited the road, met with people and got publicity about the problems, this is true.  Campaigns are there to get the person responsible to do their job, this campaign worked and the person responsible did do their job, eventually and after the pressure we bought to bear.

This was a call from a very worried and rattled caller, it seems the Tories are starting to be worried about losing.