Developer seeks to build 49 new homes in Horndon on the Hill
The affordable housing element will be split between 70% affordable rent and 30% intermediate housing, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service. The site will have a new access road to cul-de-sacs, a footpath and "substantial green infrastructure and informal play space", the plan said. The exact mix and types of homes will be determined at a later stage, the developer said, but the scheme was expected to provide a "good range of sized units", from one-bedroom starter units to larger family homes.
Public consultation
A new north-south pedestrian "green link" across the site will provide connections from Hillcrest Road to Orsett Road via Horndon Recreational Ground.When announcing its public consultation, Stonebond Properties said: "This is the first in what we hope will be a series of engagement and workshop sessions for our site, known as The Paddocks at Hillcrest Road, Horndon on the Hill."We believe this site presents an exciting opportunity to create a high-quality residential development that respects both the character of the village and its surroundings. "We welcome the chance to collaborate with the residents of Horndon on the Hill to design a bespoke, welcoming development that is proportionate to the village, and that offers pedestrian links to local services and amenities."The company said the scheme will include onsite and offsite ecological enhancements to achieve at least 10% biodiversity net gain. There will also be contributions towards supporting local infrastructure, including education and health facilities; and public transport.
Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
18 minutes ago
- The Independent
Fujitsu ‘kicking can down the road' on compensation, says Post Office campaigner
Fujitsu are 'kicking the can down the road' on compensation for its role in the Post Office scandal, a leading campaigner has told Parliament. Conservative peer Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom, who played a pivotal role in exposing the outrage, accused the Japanese tech giant of holding out with a view to reducing the amount it would ultimately have to pay. He argued the only way to change the under-fire company's attitude would be for the Government to stop awarding it contracts. Despite its involvement in the Post Office debacle, the firm has continued to secure multimillion-pound deals with Whitehall, bankrolled by the taxpayer. Fujitsu has already acknowledged it has a 'moral obligation' to contribute to compensation, pending the outcome of the public inquiry led by Sir Wyn Williams. The firm has come under renewed pressure after the publication of the first part of Sir Wyn's final report. It found around 1,000 people were wrongly prosecuted and convicted after Fujitsu's defective Horizon accounting system made it appear that money was missing at their Post Office branches. Some victims were sent to prison or financially ruined, others were shunned by their communities, and some took their own lives. The long-running battle for justice accelerated dramatically after ITV broadcast the drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, which highlighted the scandal. Sir Wyn said around 10,000 people are eligible to submit compensation claims following what has been dubbed as the worst miscarriage of justice in British legal history. Speaking in Parliament, Lord Arbuthnot said: 'This matter has taken place over many years, under Labour ministers, Lib Dem ministers, Conservative ministers, 'We should all, frankly, hang our heads in shame.' He added: 'I went along to The Oval last week to listen to Sir Wyn give his excellent report, and he used a telling phrase about Fujitsu, namely that they were kicking the can down the road. 'That's exactly what they are doing. 'The longer they think they can stave off paying a single penny towards the victims of this matter, the less they think they will have to pay. 'Does the Government recognise that the only way we can change that behaviour is to stop giving them contracts?' Responding, business minister Baroness Jones of Whitchurch said: 'I must pay absolute tribute to him for all of his involvement in this running scandal over many years, and for helping to bring the scandal to light.' She said the Government was in 'active dialogue' with Fujitsu on the issue of compensation. The company has said it will not bid for contracts 'with new Government customers' until the Post Office Horizon inquiry concludes. However, this still leaves it open to tender for work with existing Whitehall clients or 'where there is an agreed need for Fujitsu's skills and capabilities'. Latest figures show a further 12 new deals had been struck with the company over the last year, in addition to extensions of existing contracts. The Government has said the majority are for services already provided by Fujitsu and were put in place to ensure continuity of services. Lady Jones told peers: 'The extent of Fujitsu's role on the scandal is not fully known, and therefore we feel it would be inappropriate for the Government to take further action until we have all parts of the inquiry before us.' A Fujitsu spokesperson said: 'We have apologised for, and deeply regret, our role in subpostmasters' suffering. We hope for a swift resolution that ensures a just outcome for the victims. 'We are considering the recommendations set out by Sir Wyn in volume one of the inquiry's report, and are engaged with Government regarding Fujitsu's contribution to compensation.'
BBC News
18 minutes ago
- BBC News
Kent County Council needs funds to fix potholes
A council representative has said the authority has contractors ready to fix Kent's potholes, but not sufficient funding to do so.A report found that the backlog of repairs to "pothole-plagued" roads in the south east of England was £ a hot seat interview on BBC Radio Kent, Toby Howe, highways and transportation strategic resilience manager at Kent County Council (KCC), said the state of the roads in the county had declined due to a lack of government Department for Transport said councils across England will receive a total of £1.6bn to fix roads and fill potholes to "start to reverse a decade of decline on our roads". Mr Howe, who previously worked as a highway maintenance engineer, said adequate government funding used to allow the council to resurface roads at a reasonable rate."Over the years, through many governments, there has been funding cut, cut, cut," he said. "And the state of the countries roads have all fallen in that time."Kent is not alone. Every county you go through has the same problem. And it is the severe lack of funding." 'Ready to go' Nearly half of the region's road network – more than 13,000 miles – has less than 15 years' structural life remaining, according to the Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey, produced by the Asphalt Industry Howe added: "If we could have an awful lot of money, we've got companies out there, ready to go."We could do what we'd actually really like to do. And that is a strategic asset approach where you get the roads fit for purpose before they are ready to fail."In May, Reform UK took control of KCC, wiping out the Conservative majority after nearly 30 Howe said it was "too early to tell" if the change in leadership would lead to major changes."They've got some great ideas. And they have said potholes are their priority, which is brilliant from our point of view," he Secretary Heidi Alexander said potholes had "plagued motorists for far too long"."This government is firmly on the side of drivers. Every area of England will get extra cash to tackle this problem once and for all."
The Guardian
19 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Labour hugely outspent Conservatives in 2024 general election, figures show
Labour hugely outspent the Conservatives at the last general election including more than £12m advertising on platforms including Facebook and Snapchat, figures show. The last general election had the highest spending on record with more than £94m spent by political parties – about a quarter of which went on traditional direct mail to voters. Overall, Labour spent £30m compared with £23m by the Conservatives, according to data published by the Electoral Commission. The spending figures showed the two main parties significantly outspent smaller ones, with the Liberal Democrats and Reform UK spending about £5.5m each. Labour spent more than £3m advertising with Facebook's owner, Meta, and £2m with Google – with an overall advertising spend of £12m. They also advertised in print media, media platforms such as Spotify, Snapchat and Mumsnet, and billboards. Labour also spent about £140,000 on a US platform called Swayable, which says that its artificial intelligence (AI) can measure the impact of political messaging before it is launched. The Conservatives spent much less on advertising, with an outlay of less than £6m, including a similar £3m with Meta, but they spent almost £2m on consultancy provided by a company owned by their campaign guru, Isaac Levido. High ticket items spent by Reform include almost £1m on rightwing newspaper advertising in the Daily Mail and Telegraph titles, as well as large sums on political rallies. The £94m spent by political parties on the 2024 general election was far higher than the £72.6m spent in 2019, £56m spent in 2017 and £55m in 2015. The higher spending was allowed because the Conservatives raised the limits, but they do not appear to have been the main beneficiaries. The data shows that the largest amount of money was still spent on traditional unsolicited paper mail – leaflets and letters sent directly to voters – £26m spent on these compared with £20m spent on advertising. Jackie Killeen, the director of electoral administration at the Electoral Commission, said high levels of participation and campaigning 'give voters information about the candidates standing, and today's publication shows voters how that activity was funded'. 'Making this information available to voters is an important component of the UK's political finance system, which helps build voter trust and confidence.' In terms of non-party campaigners, the highest-spending entity was the National Education Union (NEU) at more than £600,000, Best for Britain at more than £400,000, the Unison union at £400,000, the pressure group 38 Degrees at £200,000, and the anti-extremism group Hope Not Hate at than £150,000. Last year also included the highest number of registered parties on record, with 60 contesting the election. Of those, seven spent more than £250,000, according to the Electoral Commission.
