Mixed development planned for old site in Prittlewell (From Echo)

Mixed development planned for old site in Prittlewell

8:00am Sunday 27th June 2010 in

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A DEVELOPER wants to build 45 new homes, plus offices, on a former builders’ merchants site.

London-based Open Planning hopes to make an application to Southend Council for the Texsol Builders Merchants site, in Kenway, Prittlewell.

They describe it as a mixed use development with 340sqm of office space, with parking on site.

The site is near the Liverpool Street railway line and is currently allocated by the council for employment use.

There are no more details about whether the “residential units” would be homes or flats, but it is believed Open Planning want 46 parking spaces and have included a children’s playground as part of the development.

Faye Pedersen, senior planner of Open Planning wrote: “The previous light industrial use employed three persons and generated a number of trips for heavy goods vehicles.

“The new residential use is considered more in keeping with the surrounding residential area.”

Open Planning has not submitted a full planning application, but a “request for screening opinion” which is a legal requirement to determine whether a plan would need an environmental impact assessment.

The council’s area planning officer Charlotte Galforg advised Open Planning the developers need to find an alternative commercial use for the site, saying how it would create jobs, before making an application.

She also said they would need to provide 20 per cent affordable housing.

Local Labour councillor Ian Gilbert said: “I think a mixed-use development would be appropriate for this site, as long as the size and scale of the development was in keeping with the nearby buildings.

“I'd hope any housing that is built would be affordable.

“Although we should be looking to build affordable homes on this sort of brownfield site, we don’t want to completely lose local employment opportunities.”

The council aims to deal with this application by July 6.