Colchester
Abberton housing plans backed by councillors
Monday 3 October 2022
Abberton is to have 55 new homes after two joint planning applications were approved. Colchester Borough Council gave outline permission for the schemes from Mersea Homes at two sites close to Langenhoe primary school. The application had been deferred in June by the council’s planning committee so safety concerns could be addressed, but extra conditions […] Read more >
Body blow for Middlewick campaigners as Colchester Local Plan found sound
Monday 30 May 2022
Some 1,000 houses could be built at Middlewick Ranges after planning inspectors found Colchester Borough Council’s emerging Local Plan ‘sound’. Campaigners have battled hard to save “the green lungs of Colchester, but the Planning Inspectorate’s conclusion on the Plan, which allocates the 215-acre site for some 1,000 properties, community activities and open space, comes as […] Read more >
A12 widening: consultation expected next month
Monday 17 May 2021
Public consultation on the widening of the A12 between Chelmsford and the A120 should begin next month (June), Highways England has announced. Before any work can begin on the scheme, the length of the proposed route will be “investigated for undiscovered archaeology and evidence of local cultural heritage buried in the earth”. Already some 28 […] Read more >
Entrancing talk captures the magic of the Essex coast (and of oysters)
Wednesday 10 March 2021
Head for West Mersea for the finest oysters! Although we can’t really give you the name of the purveyor, a little research should do the job easily enough. This was one of the hottest tips we learnt during Roger Tabor’s delightful talk Oysters, Brightlingsea, Cinque Ports & Colchester!, presented via Zoom on Wednesday last week […] Read more >
Solar-farm application in to council
Monday 18 January 2021
A solar farm is being targeted for some 240 acres of farmland at Layer de la Haye. The company Low Carbon has applied to Colchester Borough Council for permission to develop the site, behind Waterworks Close and either side of Birch Road on the edge of the village. It would appear to have substantial experience […] Read more >
Inspector dismisses developer’s pandemic claim in appeal against Tiptree homes refusal
Thursday 17 September 2020
A developer has failed in its appeal against Colchester Borough Council’s refusal of plans for 255 new homes in Tiptree. Bloor Homes had argued that the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic meant the council could not demonstrate it had a five-year housing land supply, claiming important sites were now “undeliverable”. However, the planning inspector […] 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 >
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 >
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 >