Stambridge Mill's dereliction

What remains of Stambridge Mill is a building site of half demolished structures and the derelict former office building.  Yesterday, walking past, I was surprised to see that the Developers have not secured the area and it's possible to walk around and into the skeleton of the buildings' remains. What a mess. Upturned and smashed up office furniture, including filing cabinets with spilled guts of reams of Allied Mills headed invoices from the 1980s, and before.  Graffiti everywhere.

I hope the site is secured before an accident, or yet another fire, occurs.  Eventually it'll be a new housing development, though I wouldn't be surprised if local residents have to endure this ugly reminder of Stambridge's heritage for a while longer.  The Developer, Inner London Group ("ILG"), is obliged to bear the cost of improved flood defences.  This will benefit their own scheme, of course, but also nearby properties - including homes in Mill Lane and Broomhill Nursing Home.

To undertake the scheme requires ILG to work with other land owners, including Cogent Land - owners of land at Coombes Farm and also the Environment Agency.  As it stands, it appears there are both technical and commercial obstacles preventing the flood defence scheme moving forward - for example ILG will require access to land that is owned by Cogent, and this is subject to commercial terms being agreed.  No doubt Rochford Council will come under pressure from the Public, complaining about the state of Mill site, in much the same way as nearby Esplanade House in Eastern Esplanade, Southend, has been left resembling a bomb site.

Robert Leonard, the Developer of Esplanade House, appear to be using that as a negotiating ploy to allow their own housing scheme to be agreed by Southend Council.  I hope ILG are not planning to use the same bargaining chip, threatening to allow the Mill to remain an eyesore for years, to try to force their redevelopment scheme to move forward with amended terms in their favour.  If this is the case, legislation is available to the Council to force the site to be cleared up and Rochford should not hesitate to consider using this if this becomes a protracted stand off.

Rochford on Sea

A christmas gift was this wonderful picture of "Rochford on Sea" taken approx 100 years ago (click on the image to enlarge). The location is recognizable, the river's edge to the east of the old Stambridge Mill. The river is far narrower today but many people still walk to the relative peace and quiet of "the beach".

A friend commented that it's quite likely that people may recognize their great grandparents in the photo?

The irony is that when this photo was taken, Purdeys Farm existed across the river, to be gradually replaced by the industrial estate fifty years later and there were obviously no planes flying overhead. These are some of the environmental issues that now face planning officials as they consider the demolition of the Mill and the housing scheme to replace it.

Stambridge Mill planning application goes in

After much speculation, a formal planning application to redevelop Stambridge Mill has finally been submitted to the Council. In what is a significant scale down of original plans, the intention is to build 45 houses plus a total of 51 flats across four blocks up to three storey in height. Originally, there was talk of approx 250 units at this site, so the reduction to a total of 96 marks a sharp reduction in numbers. This is probably due to the economic climate, although some will question whether this leaves open the option for further development in the future.

This has been a challenging project for Inner London Group, the owner, which has seen a number of architectural revisions aside from the number of units proposed. Not only will it involve the bulldozing of most of the existing Mill structures (though parts will be retained), the scheme also requires a significant investment in the flood defences on this river front site, as well as associated landscaping works, including the bridle path, bridge, communal spaces and the river frontage itself.

ILG will be focused on making a return on their 4 year old investment. They acquired the 4.1 acre site in 2007, paying £1.8million to previous owners, Associated British Food (Allied Mills).

The Council originally wanted to retain the site for industrial/employment use, but changed planning permission approx two years ago to allow the possibility of residential development.

The reduction in units, if this is the total planned, will offer some relief to nearby residents, though there will be objections due to the increased pressure it will place on the local road network and utilities.

There is no news yet whether ILG will hold a community event to display their plans, but the Council are broadly in support of the scheme, not least because it saves the tax payer the expense of urgent remedial work of the ageing flood defences.

This Blog will be following this project as it progresses.

Stambridge Mill - UPDATE 15th September 2010

Work is taking place by the Environment Agency to shore up the sea defences at Stambridge Mill. At the same time, a formal planning application is due to be submitted shortly for approx 200 homes on this site. Whilst this will no doubt cause controversy, not least because of the added strain it will add to the ancient road system, something does need to happen at Stambridge Mill. The buildings are dilapidated and appear to be attracting vandalism. Whilst never exactly a beauty spot, there was something to appreciate in this post industrial landscape. Now it's just an eye sore. Inner London Group, who own the land, claim that they will invest in this river side location, improving public access and spending money to make it an atractive place for all to vist. I sincerely hope this is the case. A local resident told me she would like the area to become something akin to Battlesbridge. This is a wonderful idea, but harsh economic realities indicate this will not happen, though I wonder if it could be possible for the developers to set aside a couple of units for local artists or where antiques could be traded. I suspect any planning application will get an easier ride than Coombes Farm. After all the developers are contributing to essential sea defence work, and the land is not on green belt. But it should be possible to influence the final outcome...
UPDATE 19th August - Inner London Group are submitting an application for 163 units, a mix of flats and Exec houses. They plan to invest money in repairing the flood defences and generally upgrading the landscape for both future residents and visitors. My understanding is that the boundaries of the development will not stretch further than the existing site occupies but tbc - the full application is ready to view on the Council's website, which you can access by clicking on the title to this post and entering planning application reference 10/00553/FUL

UPDATE 15th September
It looks as though the EARLIEST this will be voted upon by Rochford Council is October and it may be later.

UPDATE 23rd October
Well it didn't go before the Council's Development Control Committee this month. I'll update as soon as I have a clearer idea of timing.