This evening the Development Committee voted to refuse planning application 20/00363/OUT for 662 Dwellings at Land East of Ashingdon Road and North of Rochford Garden Way Rochford.

The applicant Bloor Homes submitted the Outline application for the demolition of no’s 148 and 150 Ashingdon Road, the removal of a highway tree and the formation of an access onto Ashingdon Road, with secondary access onto Percy Cottis Road to serve the residential development of 662 dwellings and a community building with associated infrastructure.

Within the application were details of the access, layout, appearance, scale and landscaping for the first Phase of the development for 223 Dwellings with Phases 2 and 3 only considering the access and layout.

Council Officers made a recommendation of approval to the Committee, having considered the proposal against the Council’s adopted development plan. However, the committee overturned the advice from officers and voted to refuse the application.

The development site was allocated for residential development in 2014 within the Rochford District Council Allocation Plan where it was envisaged the site would brought forward for development in 2021.

The applicant will now have the right to appeal the Committees decision through the Planning Inspectorate.