Object
Southend Central Area Action Plan (SCAAP) - Revised Proposed Submission 2016
Representation ID: 2842
Received: 15/12/2016
Respondent: Stockvale Group
Agent: Stockvale Group
Legally compliant? Yes
Sound? No
Paragraph 128 refers to the "low rate of car ownership in Southend Central Area" and that this provides opportunities for other measures to facilitate the use of sustainable transport modes, such as cycle lanes and bus priority measures, together with inked improvements to the public realm.
We would like to make two points in relation to this paragraph.
Firstly, although residents of Southend Central Area have a low rate of car ownership, tourists visiting Southend Central Area, particularly the seafront, do not. The survey of visitors to Adventure Island undertaken by The Stockvale Group demonstrated that 85% of visitors to Adventure Island use the car. This is due to the high level of car occupancy for the largely family visitors (the same survey showed that 60% of family visitors had three or more passengers in their cars). It is difficult and expensive for this type of family user to access public transport. Of course, with such a high proportion of seats being used it is actually a sustainable method of travel in our view, with only 3% being single occupancy vehicles. It is therefore essential that policies in this Plan reflect this reliance on the private car, and the fact that for this type of visitor the use of a private car is not necessarily unsustainable. This is confirmed in the RPS Technical Note.
Secondly, if the improvements mentioned in this paragraph are put in place it is essential that care is taken that the supply of car parking spaces is not reduced in the Southend Central Area to such an extent that it causes displacement into car parks serving the seafront. The impact of changes to parking across the entire Central Area needs to be considered strategically. On the seafront itself there should be no loss of car parking spaces and, indeed, we strongly suggest that the SCAAP needs to positively plan for an increase in spaces to support the growth of businesses on the seafront, as set out in the Vision and Strategic Objectives (page 12).
RPS has prepared the following representations to Southend Borough Council's Southend Central Area Action Plan (SCAAP), Revised Proposed Submission Version (November 2016) The following Headings represent Paragraphs or Policies contained within the SCAAP. These representations should be read in conjunction with the accompanying completed Representations Forms.
Our client operates the largest and most successful tourism businesses in Southend (The StockvaleGroup is the owner and operator of: Adventure Island theme park; Sealife Adventure; Three Shells beach café; Pavilion Fish and Chips; Feelgoods Pizza Pasta Restaurant; Sands Bistro restaurant; Adventure Inside and Radio Essex). We would like an opportunity to explain our client's business aspirations and explain why the policies in the Plan will not provide a firm basis for the growth of tourism in Southend, and indeed will have the opposite effect on tourism businesses to the objectives set out at the start of the SCAAP. It is very important to our client that the Inspector understands the consequences of adopting the SCAAP as currently drafted.