Mark Francois, the Conservative Member of Parliament for Rayleigh and Wickford, has released a Westminster Report on 3 February 2026 outlining his plans to protect green spaces and press for improved local services in Rayleigh, Essex. The update comes days before Rochford District Council launches its Regulation 18 Local Plan public consultation on 9 February 2026, which is linked to a projected housing target of around 17,000 homes across the district.
In his report (published on his website), Mark Francois argues that the current building targets are too high for the area’s roads and hospitals to cope with. He is calling for a brownfield-first approach to limit urban sprawl and prevent Rayleigh and Wickford from becoming joined together. Francois specifically says there is no justification for allocating large numbers of homes on Green Belt land such as Dollymans Farm.
Traffic congestion is a major local concern, particularly at the Fairglen junction where the A127 and A130 meet. Local reporting (Essex Live) has recorded that additional funding was announced in February 2025 and that work to upgrade the Fairglen junction was due to start after contractors were appointed, but the MP says those measures will not be sufficient to handle thousands of extra residents. Councillor Danielle Belton, leader of the Conservative group on Rochford District Council, has also warned the district is being overwhelmed by large speculative building projects.
Rochford District Council, which is led by Liberal Democrat Councillor James Newport, is managing the Local Plan process. Council leaders have previously warned that without an up-to-date Local Plan the council could lose planning control to central government; the Local Government Association has been involved in reviewing aspects of the council’s corporate responsibilities and capacity.
Mr Francois has pointed to parliamentary records and constituency materials (recorded on sites such as Parallel Parliament) to argue that local medical services are under significant pressure. Residents can submit responses to the Regulation 18 consultation when it opens on 9 February 2026; the consultation runs ahead of the expected local elections on 7 May 2026.
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