Colchester
Consolation… a poem for our times
Friday 14 August 2020
And now for something completely different! In a first for the CPRE Essex website, we present a poem from Anne Boileau, whose writing has enlivened these pages several times before. Anne tells us that this poem, Consolation, “was inspired by the causeway over to Mersea Island, and the winding lanes around there. And of course […] Read more >
A12 widening scheme loses government funding after garden-communities plan crumbles
Wednesday 24 June 2020
The collapse of plans for a cluster of ‘garden communities’ in north Essex has claimed another victim… or success, depending on your viewpoint. Last month’s announcement that a planning inspector had found proposals for large housing developments at West Tey and West of Braintree ‘unsound’ has led to the government withdrawing £272 million previously earmarked […] Read more >
Plans for north Essex new towns in ruins as inspector finds them ‘unsound’
Monday 25 May 2020
Plans for a cluster of ‘garden communities’ (or new towns) in north Essex lie in tatters after a planning inspector declared them ‘unsound’. Proposals for West Tey (24,000 homes), West of Braintree (13,000) and East of Colchester (9,000) had been included in a Section 1 Local Plan document put together by Braintree District Council, Colchester […] Read more >
Garden communities project wins £550,000 from government
Monday 20 January 2020
As the three ‘garden communities’ proposed by Uttlesford District Council struggle to make progress (see here http://cpressex.org.uk/uttlesford-council-recommended-to-pull-its-local-plan-so-what-now-for-essex-garden-communities/), those included in the NEGC package put together by Braintree, Colchester and Tendring councils have been given a lift by the government. NEGC (North Essex Garden Communities) has been given £550,000 by Westminster to progress its plans for […] Read more >
North Essex Garden Communities: why they simply aren’t needed
Wednesday 8 January 2020
Next week (Tuesday, January 14), examination reopens into the North Essex Authorities Joint Strategic Plan. One of its principle policies comprises the building of three ‘garden communities’. Here, Michael Hand, planning adviser for CPRE Essex, explains why their development is not only damaging but unnecessary In advance of this month’s resumed Examination of the North […] Read more >
North Essex garden communities: give your views at public events
Tuesday 12 November 2019
As most visitors to this website will know, north Essex is being targeted for a series of ‘garden communities’ – or new towns in old money. The political momentum behind them is such that their development seems more of a probability than a possibility, so the important thing is to ensure they are built as […] Read more >
Another consultation for you! This time for a new road and rapid transit system at Colchester
Tuesday 12 November 2019
We all(?) like to get involved in a consultation every so often – and so we bring you another to help while away those dark autumn evenings. This one is being held by Essex Highways (the transport arm of the county council) into the A120/A133 Link Road and Rapid Transit System project at Colchester. It […] Read more >
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 >
Colchester greenfield site approved for 420 new homes
Monday 24 June 2019
Another 420 homes are coming to Colchester. The borough council has approved a hybrid planning application by Mersea Homes and Hills Residential for the 17-hectare greenfield site at Heath Road, Stanway, on the edge of town after planning officers had concluded the development met both local and national planning policy. The application had sought outline […] Read more >
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 >