We wish you a happy and peaceful Easter
Thursday 28 March 2024
It’s blowing hard out there as we write this, with weather warnings issued, but Easter is almost here. And no flower is associated more with this lovely and important time than the daffodil. So over to photographer Gordon Ridgewell… “It’s ‘daff’ time of the year again. I had to call at St Mary’s Church, Wendens […] Read more >
Billericay ‘under attack’ – campaigners highlight potential housing onslaught
Thursday 28 March 2024
It might be scant consolation to its residents that their town has not featured before on these pages, but a campaign group is highlighting how Billericay is “under attack” from developers. The Billericay Action Group website shows how they “are targeting the London Road and Mountnessing Road area” of town, while another site in the […] Read more >
The Clatterbury Oak is saved – and it’s now got a preservation order!
Thursday 28 March 2024
With Easter almost upon us, let’s share some more good news! A planning application to fell an ancient Essex tree has been refused. Developers looking to build an access road as part of proposals to put up five new houses had applied for permission to remove the Clatterbury Oak, on the edge of the village […] Read more >
The dandelions are early – but what about the wine?
Wednesday 27 March 2024
It might seem that spring is struggling to splutter into life, but photographer Gordon Ridgewell reminds us how nature’s cycle is very different to how it once was. “I have just seen dandelions in flower,” he tells us. “Back in the day – the 1960s – when I made wine it was always said to […] Read more >
Coggeshall, Open Gardens and the love of trees
Monday 25 March 2024
These pages have gone way too long without the writing of Anne Boileau. This particularly beautiful piece will surely touch us all. One of the striking features of Coggeshall is the surprise of the back gardens, which are often larger and more leafy than you would expect on seeing the front aspect on the street. […] Read more >
Villagers’ chain reaction to Coggeshall quarry plans
Monday 18 March 2024
More than 200 villagers formed a human chain along the Essex Way to demonstrate widespread opposition to a 400-acre quarry being proposed for inclusion in Essex County Council’s Replacement Minerals Local Plan. The footprint of the quarry would be as big as the whole of Coggeshall itself. Opponents, who made their protest on Saturday, March […] Read more >
Minerals plan review extended to April 9
Thursday 14 March 2024
Such has been the public response to the consultation on the county council’s Minerals Local Plan (MLP) Review that it has been extended from March 19 to Tuesday, April 9. The review includes 52 new sites for consideration across the county and CPRE Essex will be submitting a response. As we stressed before, it would […] Read more >
It’s a lovely day!
Thursday 14 March 2024
No extra commentary needed here. We’ll let camera king Gordon Ridgewell do the talking… “I just popped out with the dog and captured this shot of Littlebury Mill. The sun is shining and the daffs are out. What a lovely day!” Read more >
It’s a pigeon paradise
Monday 11 March 2024
Who doesn’t love a pigeon? If nothing else, you have to admire the birds’ eye for an easy meal – it’s one of the reasons they are so successful (some species, at any rate). The woodpigeon is of course a familiar sight in the Essex countryside (too familiar, some farmers might say) and here photographer […] Read more >
Theydon Bois meeting will highlight possible mineral plan
Monday 4 March 2024
As already reported, Essex County Council has begun consultation on its next minerals plan. When that ends, on Tuesday, March 19, the county council will review the proposed sites before publishing a shortlist before final selection. The county has a statutory duty to bring forward sites for mineral extraction and it is proposed the next […] Read more >