News
The Planning & Infrastructure Act: what does it do and what happens next?
Thursday 11 December 2025
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill has been debated, scrutinised and voted on – repeatedly – in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Now it has been approved by Parliament it will become legislation as the Planning and Infrastructure Act. The Act was first introduced as a Bill in the House of […] Read more >
Plans for thousands of new homes and distributor road to be considered
Thursday 11 December 2025
The extraordinary expansion of Chelmsford looks likely to continue apace as the city council’s planning committee considers proposals for 2,750 new homes and the building of a supporting road. The Northern Radial Distributor Road is being put forward as part of the housing scheme, which is itself a substantial element of the Chelmsford Garden Community […] Read more >
Housing scheme recommended for approval by council officers
Tuesday 9 December 2025
A scheme for more than 200 new homes at Maldon is being backed by council planning officers. The proposal by LSL Partners and Cirrus Land for the development in London Road includes affordable housing and land for both a children’s nursery and an extension to the town’s cemetery. Officers are recommending that Maldon District Council’s […] Read more >
Developer eyes Billericay for housing scheme
Tuesday 9 December 2025
A scheme for 175 homes in Billericay has sparked vehement protest in the town. The proposal for the development off Tye Common Road has been put forward by Taylor Wimpey, but campaigners are worried about its potential impact on the environment, wildlife and infrastructure. Carrying placards and banners, they met Tory Basildon and Billericay MP […] Read more >
Getting literary in Littlebury
Tuesday 2 December 2025
“Littlebury held a Christmas tree festival to raise funds for the village’s Grade I-listed Holy Trinity Church, and is now £2,100 better off, and a good time was had by all. One tree went full circle when the book club made a tree from old books.” Read more >
A grand housing scheme for Braintree?
Monday 1 December 2025
A thousand homes will be built by the River Blackwater if developers get their way. Barratt Developments and David Wilson Homes have put the plans for a site east of Broad Road to Braintree District Council and they include a new school, ‘local centre’ and employment area. The development will apparently be connected to Braintree […] Read more >
The joy of crab apples
Tuesday 18 November 2025
Photographer Gordon Ridgewell aways did have an eye for colour… “I had a walk around the village today and most of the leaves are now on the ground, but this ornamental crab apple caught my eye as the sun was shining on to it. Lots of food for the blackbirds this winter…” Read more >
Come on, Essex, we can do better with solar!
Friday 14 November 2025
David Knight, CPRE Essex chairman, is cheered by intelligent use of solar power in Cambridge but would like to see his own county also get up to speed with this important technology. The CPRE national policy on solar farms is very clear. We need them as one alternative source of energy, but there are plenty […] Read more >
Scheme for more than 800 homes ‘would address shortfall in delivery’
Friday 7 November 2025
The green space to the east of Pitsea could be hosting 850 houses if a developer gets its way. GS8 has submitted plans to Basildon Council for a substantial scheme on farmland by Pound Lane, Bowers Gifford, that would include community and commercial floorspace, infrastructure and open spaces. Fifty per cent of the housing would […] Read more >
Green Belt land among Epping Forest sites targeted by housing developers
Thursday 6 November 2025
Developers have cast their eye on the Epping Forest area, revealing plans for hundreds of homes. Pigeon Capital Management is seeking permission to build 400 properties, along with care homes and a country park, north of Stewards Green Road in Epping. The site, in the Green Belt, has not been allocated for development in the […] Read more >