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Will councils’ lack of action plan make them vulnerable to the housing speculators?

Will councils’ lack of action plan make them vulnerable to the housing speculators?

Monday 21 October 2019

Three local authorities in Essex have failed to produce the Housing Delivery Test Action Plan required of them by government. They are among just 21 across the country to have not published the plans, which they are instructed to do if they under-deliver on housebuilding targets. The plans should set out how they intend to […] Read more >

North Essex garden communities: consultation on Local Plan document ends this month

North Essex garden communities: consultation on Local Plan document ends this month

Friday 20 September 2019

Friday, September 20, 2019 We have already reported how plans to build three garden communities in north Essex took a dive when a planning inspector found them “unsound” and needing “significant” further work (see here). The proposals for West Tey (24,000 homes), West of Braintree (13,000) and East of Colchester (9,000) were contained in a […] Read more >

‘Deeply upsetting’ decision as Hatfield Peverel housing schemes are backed

‘Deeply upsetting’ decision as Hatfield Peverel housing schemes are backed

Monday 15 July 2019

It’s been one of the most high-profile battles against unnecessary development Essex has seen over the past couple of years, but that wasn’t enough to stop plans for 340 new homes in Hatfield Peverel being approved by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. The news that James Brokenshire had granted planning […] Read more >

Celebrate the glory of Dedham Vale and the Stour Valley at this very special forum

Celebrate the glory of Dedham Vale and the Stour Valley at this very special forum

Monday 13 May 2019

The Dedham Vale AONB and Stour Valley comprise one of the many glories of Essex (even if we do have to share it with neighbouring Suffolk!). Next month you can learn a little more about this wonderful area at the Dedham Vale AONB and Stour Valley Forum being held at the fantastic Shrubs Farm Barn, […] Read more >

Bats at Marks Hall: a conservation success story

Bats at Marks Hall: a conservation success story

Monday 8 April 2019

Simon Leatherdale tells the fascinating, and encouraging, story of how a positive approach and determination to succeed helped develop one of the most important bat hibernation sites in the country Essex is not renowned for its bats. With over-development, ever-increasing industry and the intensive ‘pharma-cist’ style of agriculture, it is no surprise that the number […] Read more >

Decision day could be close for Dedham Vale AONB campaigners

Decision day could be close for Dedham Vale AONB campaigners

Monday 11 March 2019

One of the most delightful areas of Essex lies on the northern fringe of the county on its boundary with Suffolk. Much of this landscape is incorporated within the Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Beauty, a designation that a group of campaigners believe should be extended north-west towards Sudbury, strengthening the protection of a broader […] Read more >

May date set for reopening of appeal on 265-home scheme

May date set for reopening of appeal on 265-home scheme

Monday 11 March 2019

Campaigners must wait until May before a resumption in the battle to save a stretch of farmland from housing development. The saga began with land agent Gladman Developments Ltd applying to Braintree District Council for planning permission for the building of 300 houses off Church Street, Bocking. The three fields targeted are still being farmed […] Read more >

Airfield could be hosting almost 5,000 homes

Airfield could be hosting almost 5,000 homes

Monday 25 February 2019

North Essex, already facing the threat of three proposed “garden communities”, has a new mass development to consider: almost 5,000 new homes on the former airfield at RAF Wethersfield. While the proposals for the garden communities – at West Tey (24,000 homes), West of Braintree (13,000) and East of Colchester (9,000) – are struggling to […] Read more >

Garden communities plan hits the rocks

Garden communities plan hits the rocks

Wednesday 18 July 2018

Plans to build three garden communities in north Essex have been savaged by a planning inspector, who found them “unsound” and needing “significant” further work. The proposals  for West Tey (24,000 homes), West of Braintree (13,000) and East of Colchester (9,000) were contained in a Section 1 Local Plan put together by Braintree District Council, […] Read more >

Hatfield Peverel in the spotlight as BBC camera crews visit

Hatfield Peverel in the spotlight as BBC camera crews visit

Saturday 7 July 2018

Essex took centre stage when BBC’s Countryfile visited Hatfield Peverel. The TV cameras were in the village, close to the A12 between Chelmsford and Witham, for a feature on land agents that look to exploit planning loopholes and force through housing developments outside adopted Local Plans and against residents’ wishes. National attention focused on the […] Read more >

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