Shoebury Residents DEMAND ACTION!
I enjoy reading the Oracle and in the last issue, there were three editorials by our Councilors & MP, which I would like to elaborate on and provide more facts redacted from their story.
I attended the Water Summit with Bayo Alaba as Chairman and it was due to the political control & lack of transparency that most attendees insisted it should be community led with no political governance. It was great that our two MPs took this on board and a community group is now being set up.
Shoebury’s Ongoing Flooding Crisis
Shoebury has been suffering from flooding and sewage discharge for years, so it is not just about Thorpe Bay. In fact, most of the surface water that overloads our sewers comes from the West. We need the MPs to change the rules for flushable wet wipes because they just flush around the toilet bend and not because they are biodegradable, costing a fortune to remove 200 tons every year. What about making Grease traps as part of our Restaurants Food Hygiene Certificate.
Council Neglects Outflows
The Council owns nearly half the outflows in Southend and rarely cleans the road gullies. The Port of London stated that the Thames upstream has greater contamination, which flows into Southend when the tide recedes. How about working with our fishing fleet to discharge their bilge out at sea & not in Chalkwell waters. What about Gull’s poo around the pier that increases the risk of gastrointestinal illnesses for cold water swimmers or nutrient runoff from fertilizers and alike. What about visitors to our beaches that leave tons of waste behind. What about the Environment Agency & Council that allows filth to discharge into our seas from their outflows or Prittlewell brook? We need to work together in a constructive manner to hold everyone to account & to educate people into changing habits.
Residents have lost trust in their Council!
Parking Charges: A Hollow Victory?
Then we have our Council boasting about their positive changes by removing some of the ridiculous parking charges imposed in 2024, which caused our seafront traders & restaurants to reduce staff & working hours. Why would anyone go to a Restaurant along our seafront and pay £9, when they can use the High Street Restaurants for free. We are pleased that the changes have been introduced, but no mention of the increased charges elsewhere to compensate for their loss in revenue, like Shoebury being increased from £1 to £1.30/hour. We would like the Council to share with our members a full and descriptive post showing all the parking changes.
Housing Pledge vs. Local Reality
We appreciate the Government having pledged to build 370,000 homes a year and included additional funding for affordable housing and social rent homes to meet this goal. Even though our Council has shown a desire to avoid building on greenbelt, we have already lost Gunners Park (a grade 3a Flood Plain), parts of Fossett’s Farm and others lands previously used as football pitches are all included in the Local Plans. We were ignored when we tried to defend our area and have already lost many affordable homes, when our Planning Department was more interested in supporting developers’ profits than the residents they serve. Our Council has major issues trying to deliver existing approvals in Victoria Avenue, Seaway, Queensway and many others. Like 221 homes in Fossett’s Way, which had a greater proportion of affordable homes, but were partly built & then demolished after yet another developer went bust, leaving us feeling the new developer will not provide the same percentage of affordable homes in their new application.
Green Belt Concern vs. Shoebury Lost
Our Council is spending its energy objecting to the Hadleigh Farm site and reminding Castle Point Council that they were against building on green belt land and prepared to use the local planning inspector if it is approved. We are going to lose most of our land in Shoebury, but nobody seems to care. They have even resurfaced our seafront roads to make it easier for the 40,000 lorries to have a smoother ride.
Our Residents sadly lack any trust in our Council.
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by Peter Lovett
Chair of Shoebury Residents Association