CHEAG supports CECA!

Colchester East Action Group (CHEAG) endorses Colchester East Community Association (CECA)'s vision for protecting the Salary Brook Valley from damaging housing/commercial development.

A message from CECA:

"CECA has started its 'Save Salary Brook Valley' initiative and urgently needs your support. The CECA team will make presentations to the Tendring and Colchester Local Plan committees. The 'numbers game' is very important, hence CECA needs you to send a simple support email to:

ceca.countmein@gmail.com and simply give it a subject of 'Count me in'.

CECA will then keep you fully updated on progress. Many thanks in anticipation..."

Regards
James
Colchester East Action Group (CHEAG)
Blog: http://cheag.blogspot.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/colchestereastactiongroup

Comments on Winter 2014 'Focus on Longridge' Newsletter from Lib Dems

My comments on the section 'Tendring District Council's Nominated Building Sites' in the newsletter.

I am still dissapointed with what our elected Lib Dems are doing on this matter:

a) The newsletter does not make clear what is actually happening at the moment - Tendring and Colchester Councils are liasing to determine whether building in the 'Colchester Fringe' area - their name for this area - should be put forward as part of their new local plans.

b) The term 'Salary Brook Valley' has not been defined properly, and does not cover all the areas where Tendring Council may want to develop, as discussed in my earlier blog post about the previous Lib Dem newsletter. The term does not appear in any of the council documents. The 'valley' does not form the boundary between Colchester and Tendring as stated in the newsletter, by any means - a large part of the valley is entirely within Colchester borough, the part to the South-East of Greenstead, and East of part of St. Anne's ward.
If we are just talking about 'the line of the boundary area', as stated in the newsletter, could that be a very small area?

c) I think it is wrong to state that by identifying areas for possible development, it makes them less likely to be the subject of speculative development! It is the absence of a local plan for Tendring in general that makes any area subject to possible speculative development. Once specific areas have been specified in the local plan, then other areas are less subject to speculative development.

d) The newsletter would have been an ideal place to directly mention the upcoming public consultations by Tendring and Colchester Councils, possibly late in 2014 / early 2015, but they are not mentioned in the newsletter.

e) The Lib Dems have come in to this matter very late - I didn't receive any information on this subject from them before the public consultation by Tendring Council in Januray/February 2014 - hence I sent postcards to inform people.

Frankly, I think one of the other political parties might have served us better!

Regards
James
Colchester East Action Group (CHEAG)
Blog: http://cheag.blogspot.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/colchestereastactiongroup

30 Sep 2014 Tendring Council Local Plan Meeting - Rescheduled

The Tendring Council Local Plan Committee Meeting which was scheduled for 30 September 2014 has been rescheduled and will also be held in a new location on the new date.

Please check the Tendring Council website or email me for the new details - there is an email button available from the 'View my complete profile' link under 'About Me' on this internet page.

Regards
James
Colchester East Action Group (CHEAG)
Blog: http://cheag.blogspot.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/colchestereastactiongroup

Comments on Latest 'Focus on Longridge' Newsletter from Lib Dems

A few comments from me on the piece titled 'The Salary Brook Valley' in the Summer 2014 'Focus on Longridge' leaflet from the Colchester St. Anne's Lib Dems:

Tendring Council and the 'Salary Brook Valley'...

Tendring Council are putting forward some possible development in the 'Salary Brook Valley' - to the West of Wall's Wood - but by far the majority of their proposals of possible development are near the top of the ridges or over the other side. This can be seen in the maps referenced in my 12 and 15 July 2014 posts, and also by comparing with the Ordnance Survey map available on Bing Maps (Click Here for Bing Maps of the area), where the contour lines of the valley can be seen. The reason for this is that the Tendring Council part of the 'Salary Brook Valley' is partly-covered by Churn Wood and Wall's Wood, which are ancient woodland and cannot be developed.

Most of the undeveloped part of the Salary Brook Valley which might be developed - near Greenstead and Longridge Park, and North of Bromley Road - comes under Colchester Council, according to the maps referenced above.

So asking Tendring Council not to develop in the valley is not asking them to change too much!

Dual objections...

Some strong objections may need to be made to keep any Tendring Council developments out of their part of the 'Salary Brook Valley', and further away from it. However, having seen the maps referred-to in my 15 July 2014 post, it seems Colchester Council may be an equally, possibly more, important focus of objections, if and when the time comes.

Re-assuring statement comment...

I think the statement in the newsletter 'The above suggestion seemed well received both in Colchester and Tendring' is a vague statement to make, at this stage, when there is potentially so much work still to do. It gives the general impression things are going well, and people can sit back and relax! Does it mean 'well-received' by Colchester and Tendring Councils, or the residents of those areas? Have the planning departments officially received it well?

Wording comment...

I think the wording of all objections needs to be thought about very carefully. For example, the newsletter talks about 'possible future house building in the Salary Brook Valley' and 'residents...who oppose building houses on the Salary Brook Valley'. Actually, the Colchester Council part of the 'Salary Brook Valley' is subject to the possible building of a technology park - maybe not houses! Reference: maps referred-to in my 15 July 2014 post. (Obviously a technology park could be good for Colchester, but an appropriate location needs to be found.)

Direct 'ready for action' needed...

The proposals by Tendring and Colchester Councils are still in their early stages, but I think the newsletter should have directly given a 'ready for action' call to residents of Greenstead and Longridge Park, describing what they may need to do, rather than just online contact details.
Given the number of new houses these councils need to build, it is likely that action will be needed!
There are two public consultations scheduled for next year regarding the new Tendring District Local Plan, but these are not mentioned.
Colchester Council will also have public consultations regarding the new review of the Colchester Local Plan.
I think it is vital that as many people as possible object during these public consultations, if necessary, so I think they should have been mentioned.
The Lib Dems seem to be saying 'look at what we have done', when actually 'what you may need to do' directly in the newsletter is needed as well.

Definition of 'Salary Brook Valley'...

The term 'Salary Brook Valley' or whatever term is used in objections needs to be precisely defined, maybe more in line with the title of this blog, at the top of this page. The definition should clearly exclude all unwanted development - for example, the possible development around Churn Wood is very close to Colchester, but is not technically in the 'Salary Brook Valley' according to Bing Maps.

Link Road...

The newsletter does not mention the possible link road between the A133 and the A120. This new road would ideally be much further away from current built-up areas than any new development of houses or buildings.

Comments welcome!

Regards
James
Colchester East Action Group (CHEAG)
Blog: http://cheag.blogspot.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/colchestereastactiongroup

This post updated: 15,16,17 August 2014.

Valued Landscape Views Photographed by Joe

Please follow this link to see photographs of valued views in the proposed 'Colchester Fringe' area, taken by Joe:

Click Here

Some of these views, at least, may not last if Tendring Council's proposals go ahead!

Regards
James
Colchester East Action Group (CHEAG)
Blog: http://cheag.blogspot.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/colchestereastactiongroup

Latest Newsletter and Minutes from Tending Council

I received the second Tendring District Council Local Plan Newsletter by email on 22 July 2014.

If you didn't receive the newsletter, I can forward it to you - please email me, there is an email button available from the 'View my complete profile' link under 'About Me' on this internet page.

Also, the minutes of the 15th July 2014 Tendring Local Plan Committee meeting are now online:

Tendring Local Plan Committee Minutes - Tuesday 15 July 2014
Click Here

Regards
James
Colchester East Action Group (CHEAG)
Blog: http://cheag.blogspot.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/colchestereastactiongroup

Colchester Ward Boundary Consultation

There is a consultation on changes to the ward boundaries in Colchester.

The consultation is open until 4th August 2014.

To participate, follow this link: Click Here

Then click on 'Have your say' near the top.

On the next page, you can draw on the ward diagram, but it is not neccesary - you can just type your comments below the diagram, then enter your personal details, then press 'Submit'.

This is the text of my submission:

"The area to the north of the A133 to the East of Colchester, which is currently part of the Wivenhoe Cross Ward, should become part of St. Anne's or St. Andrew's.
This area should be part of St. Anne's or St. Andrew's because there are new developments proposed for this area, which will have far more impact on St. Andrew's and St.Anne's residents than on Wivenhoe Cross Residents."

Feel free to use the same text, if you agree.

As usual, feel free to comment on this blog post, using the tool below.

( Here is a link to a Daily Gazette article regarding comments about the Hythe area, out of interest:
'Make the Hythe one ward to see business benefit', says group
Click Here )

Regards
James
Colchester East Action Group (CHEAG)
Blog: http://cheag.blogspot.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/colchestereastactiongroup

Tendring Council Local Plan Committee Meeting 15th July 2014

I attended this meeting, along with around 100 other members of the public.

The minutes and recording will be on the Tendring Council website in due course, I expect.

Councillor Cook, a Colchester Councillor for St Anne's, spoke from the public benches to make comments about the 'Colchester Fringe' proposals.

I don't think public speakers at the meeting have the same effect as objections sent during the public consultation, because as the Chairman pointed out, the public are really only attending the meeting, not fully participating. So I still think it's a shame that no St Anne's politicians objected during the public consultation earlier this year (see my earlier blog post).

Joe also spoke with comments about potential loss of valued views in the proposed 'Colchester Fringe' area, and also made a point about the NPPF. Joe had also previously emailed a submission to Tendring Council for the meeting, which they had received.

Some very interesting maps and text from Tendring Council regarding the Colchester Fringe proposals were shown, which are in addition to the ones I mentioned in my previous blog post, but in the same document.

These extra maps and text are here:

'Figure 14 – Land at Plains Farm, south of A120', and 'Figure 15 – Land east of Colchester between A133 and A120' and bullet points 5.9 to 5.16 in
'A2 Appendix E - Identifying Broad Locations for Potential Settlement Expansion - July 2014'
(This document is available from the agenda page for the meeting and should be available from the minutes.)

It was stressed that at this time, Tendring Council are only putting forward high-level possibilities. Some of the land mentioned has not yet been put forward for development by its owners.

Regards
James
Colchester East Action Group (CHEAG)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/colchestereastactiongroup

CHEAG is now on Facebook!

There is now a CHEAG Facebook page:

Facebook Page - Click Here

Please 'Like' on Facebook if you approve!

The main place to look for information and updates is still here on the blog.

The Facebook page has only been created so that people can easily 'Like' the page and any topics from the blog mentioned there, to show their support.

Everything will still be here on the blog - the Facebook page is an extra!

Regards
James
Colchester East Action Group (CHEAG)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/colchestereastactiongroup

Tendring Council Local Plan Committee Meeting 15th July 2014 - Agenda

The agenda for this meeting is now online:

Tendring Local Plan Committee Agenda - Tuesday 15 July 2014 - 6.00 p.m.
Council Chamber, Council Offices, Thorpe Road, Weeley, CO16 9AJ
Click Here
(The above link will probably become invalid at a later date, when the agenda is replaced online by the minutes. The documents mentioned below should be found in the minutes in that case, if not - email me and I will see what I can do.)

I have had a look at some of the many documents linked-to from the above agenda.

Most relevant to the CHEAG campaign is section A.2 - 'Vision and Spatial Strategy for the new Local Plan'.

Objections received regarding the 'Colchester Fringe' proposals are mentioned here:
'Concerns about the possibility of development around the Colchester Fringe' in
'Key Messages From Previous Public Consultation' in
'A2 Report - Vision And Spatial Strategy For The New Local Plan, 15 July 2014'

You will get a good 'bang for your buck' regarding the new proposals by reading the following section:

Section 4.6 Onwards - 'Colchester Fringe' under
'Strategic Urban Settlements' in
'A2 Appendix E - Identifying Broad Locations for Potential Settlement Expansion - July 2014'

Also:
'A2 Appendix C - Vision and Spatial Strategy Key Diagram'
is quick to look at!

Regards
James
Colchester East Action Group (CHEAG)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/colchestereastactiongroup

Colchester Council Local Plan Committee Meeting, 30 June 2014

I attended this meeting. The main issues that I feel are relevant to this campaign are:

1) Stanway Neighbourhood Plan

Stanway Parish Council is developing a Neighbourhood Plan and has agreed an area of Colchester to be covered by the plan.

Their plan is not directly relevant, but of interest, because Neighbourhood Plans are helpful for the area concerned within the planning process.

I am not sure, though, if a Neighbourhood Plan could be developed now for the proposed 'Colchester Fringe' area, because there is no neighbourhood there at the moment! That point might be checked, though.

I have added a new item to the CHEAG Project List regarding a possible Neighbourhood Plan, see the previous blog post.

2) Colchester Local Plan Focussed Review

The recent Colchester Local Plan Focussed Review, with the Planning Inspector's modifications, is to be recommended to be adopted by Colchester Council.

3) New Colchester Local Plan

There is to be a new full review of the Colchester Local Plan, with work on this already started.

This will include a 'call for sites', probably in July 2014. Proposed sites will then be subject to the normal council review process before being accepted for development.

It is proposed that the new plan will be adopted in 2016/2017.

4) Community Infrasturecture Levy

It appears that the 'Community Infrastructure Levy', paid by developers when developing new homes, will be of more benefit to areas with a local neighbourhood plan:

"The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has previously announced that town and parish councils that draw up neighbourhood plans will receive 25 per cent of the planning levy charged on new developments in their area. Neighbourhoods without a neighbourhood plan but where CIL is being charged will receive a 15 per cent share of the revenue from development in their area, but this will be capped at £100 per council tax dwelling."
(From Agenda Item 12 from the meeting: 'Community Infrastructure Levy', section 4.22.)

Regards
James
Colchester East Action Group (CHEAG)

CHEAG Project List - Help if You Can!

Last Update - 1st July 2014 - Added possible neighbourhood plan to list.

If anyone is interested in getting involved to assist with the objections to the 'Colchester Fringe' proposals, below is a list of things which might be looked at.

If you fancy taking any of these on, or of you have any other ideas of things to do, please email me - there is an email button available from the 'View my complete profile' link under 'About Me' on this internet page. I will then co-ordinate so that there is no duplication of effort.

Here is the list:

a) Essex Wilidlife Trust
Contact Essex Wildlife Trust - I have a name and number - to discuss addding an objection to the 'Colchester Fringe' proposals to their objections to other aspects of the January 2014 Tendring Council Local Plan Review.

b) Photographs
Take and send photographs of valued views, see my blog post of 6th March 2014.

c) Footpaths/Walking Trails
Investigate the existence of walking trails and public footpaths in the proposed 'Colchester Fringe' area. Might these be impaired by the proposed developments?

d) University of Essex
Contact the university: find an appropriate contact and discuss their views on the proposals.

e) Ancient Woodland
Investigate the age of the wooded areas, to determine whether any would count as ancient woodland.

f) Local Colchester Politicians
Liase with, and encourage these politicians to analyse the Tendring Council proposals, and to organise residents' objections to Tendring and Colchester Councils.

g) Archaeology
Maybe discuss with local history societies, although this might be done later by the councils at the planning stage.

h) Neighbourhood Plan
Investigate the possibility of a neighbourhood plan for St. Anne's, St. Andrew's, St. John's areas - and maybe for the new 'Colchester Fringe' area.
It is not clear, though, that this will help with objections to the proposed 'Colchester Fringe' developments - investigation needed!

I have had a few telephone conversations with Joe, and some of the above came from these. Joe might assist with co-ordinating effort on the above.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Regards
James
Colchester East Action Group (CHEAG)

Tendring District Council - Local Plan Newsletter and Public Consultation on the Statement of Community Involvement

I received the first Tendring District Council Local Plan Newsletter by email today, 29th May 2014.

If you didn't receive the newsletter, I can forward it to you - please email me, there is an email button available from the 'View my complete profile' link under 'About Me' on this internet page.

In summary:

Next Meeting

The next meeting of the Tending District Council Local Plan Committe is at 6.00pm on Tuesday 15th July 2014 at the Council Offices in Weeley.

Members of the public can attend these meetings.

Document References

There are several references in the newsletter to the A1 - A5 documents which are linked-to from the minutes of the 13th May 2014 meeting, see my earlier blog post.

Results of January 2014 Consultation

In the newsletter under 'Results of our last public consultation', 'The top 10 issues raised':

4 - Development on the Colchester Fringe
Residents in Colchester are worried that possible development crossing the Tendring/Colchester border might add to existing concerns about traffic and the environment.

Timetable for the new Local Plan

To quote from the newsletter:

"To make sure the Council follows the right procedures when preparing the Local Plan and to also ensure that other people can understand the different stages of the process, it has to produce a ‘Local Development Scheme’ (LDS).

On 13th May, the Local Plan Committee approved a new LDS containing the timetable for public consultation, examination by a Planning Inspector and final adoption for the new Local Plan. The main stages for producing the Local Plan are as follows:

Initial public consultation: Early 2015

Final public consultation: Autumn 2015

Examination by the Inspector: Spring 2016

Adoption of the Local Plan: Summer 2016"

Statement of Community Involvement

This document "explains how residents and others will be notified, consulted and involved in preparing the Local Plan and considering major planning applications".

There is a proposed new Statement of Community Involvement which can be commented on until 5pm on Monday 7th July 2014.

Regards
James
Colchester East Action Group (CHEAG)

Tendring Council Local Plan Committee Meeting, 13th May 2014

I attended this meeting, along with around 50 other members of the public.

The meeting agenda is here:

Tendring Council - Local Plan Commitee
View Local Plan Committee Agenda, 13 May 2014
Click here
(This has now been updated to be minutes of the meeting.)

Objections to the 'Colchester Fringe' proposals were mentioned as having been received, and they are also mentioned in the paperwork related to the meeting, see here.

Gary Guiver, Planning Policy Manager, was the main speaker at the meeting, going through the documents from the agenda, although there was quite a bit of discussion, and questions from members of the committee and the public.

Mr Guiver said the public consultation had been very useful as an intelligence-gathering excercise, although it was not going to be possible to please everyone.

Colchester Council is reviewing its local plan at the same time as Tendring's review, and both councils are open to development in the 'Colchester Fringe' area, so the proposals are being taken seriously by both councils.

All the recommendations from the meeting agenda were approved at the meeting, including the following regarding housing and employment numbers:

"That the Local Plan Committee considers the evidence outlined in this report and agrees that the new version of the Local Plan should include proposals and policies that aim to deliver at least 12,120 new homes and 5,000 new jobs in Tendring over the 17 year period 2014 to 2031."
(From 'A.3 Housing and Employment Growth in the new Local Plan' from the meeting agenda.)

Regarding public consultations, there could be a separate one for the 'Colchester Fringe' proposals, if they go ahead, because there could be a separate local plan for them.

There is a 'project plan' at the end of the following document from the meeting agenda:

A4 Appendix A - A.4 Local Development Scheme 2014-2017
Section 8 - Project Chart, on Page 22.

Regards
James
Colchester East Action Group (CHEAG)

My Comment on St Anne's Politicians

This post updated: 14 May 2014

My view on what the local St Anne's (Colchester) politicians are doing is that I haven't seen them do anything regarding the 'Colchester Fringe' proposals, apart from deliver leaflets containing nothing of substance (in my opinion), and pose for photos!

They are saying that they are fighting for the residents regarding the Colchester Fringe proposals, but I've seen nothing siginificant being done!

The 'A-2' document from the Tendring Local Plan Committe Meeting Agenda of 13 May 2014 does not list any objection received in January 2014 from St Anne's politicians! (There is one from St. John's - from Cllr. Ray Gamble.)

I think the St Anne's politicians should be following the councils' proposals and organising residents' responses.

Our MP has made an objection to Tendring Council, but so have some of the residents. The other concerns about land purchases he raised in the House of Commons, I think are a red herring.

This situation seems to me to be counter-productive because people will be less likely to send objections to Tendring Council themselves, if they have been given the impression that their local politicians are handling the issue.

Regards
James
Colchester East Action Group (CHEAG)

New Tendring Local Plan Review

Summary

I received an email from Tendring Council on 25th April 2014, see here for the full text. It will probably have been sent to everyone who commented to them earlier in the year.

According to the email, Tendring Council are going to have to conduct another review of their local plan, mainly to make sure enough new housing is included.

Tendring Council Document

There is a detailed Tendring Council document about this new local plan review here:

Council - 25 March 2014 - Progressing the Local Plan and Establishing a Local Plan Committee

In the January 2014 Local Plan Focussed Review, the 'Colchester Fringe' was identified as 'broad area for possible longer-term growth post 2024' . The 25 March 2014 document states:

Page 9:
"[Essex] County Council also questions [Tendring] Council’s ability to deliver the objectives for economic growth and job creation in its Economic Development Strategy without a more positive strategy for housing development. In particular, it questions whether identifying very vague ‘broad locations’ for longer-term growth around Clacton, Harwich and the Colchester Fringe will provide a sufficient level of certainty for developers and external funding agencies (such as the Local Enterprise Partnership) to bring investment to the area. The County Council has suggested therefore that the Local Plan should identify specific sites for development for the full length of the 15 year plan period, not just the first 10 years."

Public Involvement

The public can attend meetings of the new Tendring Council Local Plan Committee scheduled for 13 May, 15 July, 30 September, 2 December 2014, all at 6pm. Write-ups will be on the Tendring Council website.

I haven't had a chance to read all of the above document in detail yet, but the next date of interest is the 13 May 2014 meeting mentioned above.

Regarding public consultations, the document says:

On page 2:
"It is anticipated that if work begins on a new version of the Local Plan in April 2014, it can be published for initial consultation in late 2014, published for final consultation in mid-2015 following the local elections, submitted to the Secretary of State before the end of 2015 and adopted by April 2016."

Bottom Page 7, top of Page 8:
"It is envisaged that there will be two further rounds of public consultation. The first consultation will be on the ‘preferred options draft’ i.e. a version of the new Local Plan indicating the Council’s preferred approach and explaining which alternative options were considered and discounted. It this stage it will be important to ensure effective engagement with communities, particularly in those areas affected by new developments. It is proposed that the Local Plan Committee would work with Officers to shape and agree the approach to community involvement to ensure this is ffective as possible.

The second consultation will be on the ‘proposed submission draft’ i.e. the final version of the plan that the Council intends to submit to the Secretary of State to be examined by a Planning Inspector, having taken into account any comments received in response to the preferred options draft. At this stage, interested parties will be invited to make any final comments on the soundness of the plan which will then be forwarded to the Inspector.

These public consultation exercises will be carried out in line with the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 and the Council’s latest ‘Statement of Community Involvement’ (SCI)."

On page 15:
"October/November 2014 – Consider and agree the new Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) and the programme of public consultation on the Local Plan preferred options document."

Tendring Council Email Newsletter

Tendring Council will probably be sending out an email newsletter. If you want to subscribe, I suggest you contact them at the email address at the bottom of the following page:

The Tendring District Local Plan

(That page hadn't been updated to reflect the contents of the email I received from Tendring Council, as at the time of writing.)

Regards
James
Colchester East Action Group (CHEAG)

University-Councils Link-Up

Last updated of this post: 26th April 2014

Here is some news about Essex University and the Councils linking-up:

Daily Gazette: Essex University to lead north Essex out of recession

That article mentions the link road.

It says the full story is in Friday's paper edition (25th April 2014). There wasn't too much more of substance in the paper edition.

There was also an article in the EADT:

EADT: Essex - New deal signed between university and councils

There will obviously also be official literature put out by the organisations concerned. Let me know if you find anything.

My feeling is that a link road from the university to the A120 and a new railway station is overkill just for the University's Knowledge Gateway. However, I am not really in a position to say. If anyone has time to analyse all the facts and figures, let me know! However, a new road and station would probably serve a new housing estate, as well, if a housing estate is built.

The news of the link-up is relevant because the 'Colchester Fringe' has been promoted as a growth area based upon mixed residential and university-led employment developments. This is discussed in the 'Site Promoters - Smaller Rural Settlements' document linked-to in my first blog post. We should keep an eye on how important the university-led employment aspect is going forward.

I believe in campaigning to keep the sloping land area mentioned in this blog as a rural green area.

Separately, someone made a comment that local politicians and MPs can't actually do much to prevent housing developments, but they have to make as much noise as possible, so that they appear to be doing something. I think the most effective thing to do is to object to inappropriate aspects of developments directly to the councils' planning departments, when the time comes.

Regards
James
Colchester East Action Group (CHEAG)

Crediting

As mentioned elsewhere, I am happy for you to use any material from the CHEAG blog for any purpose you see fit, and I don't require that a credit is given to the blog.

However, if you do use material from the CHEAG blog, I would prefer that you do credit the blog if you can, because it will help create extra publicity for the blog, and get a better return on the investement in creating the blog. If possible, please include a link to the blog.

The main aim is to object to inappropriate development.

Regards
James
Colchester East Action Group (CHEAG)

Request for Photographs of Views and Other Objection Ideas

Request

Since the main thrust of the CHEAG objection to Tendring Council's proposals concerns 'valued landscape views' (see below), I think it would help for any future stage of the campaign to gather as many photographs of these views, from as many people as possible.

I think even just one photograph per person would make a real difference to the campaign.

Any other ideas about future objections to the Colchester Fringe proposals are also welcome, please send to me by email or add comments to this blog post.

We will have to wait to see when is the next opportunity to object to the proposals, but photos I could gather on this blog or on another photo site in anticipation.

Please email any photographs to me, there is an email button available from the 'View my complete profile' link under 'About Me' on this interent page.

Template Email for Photos

Please include the following information, editing the areas in square brackets to add/remove information as you see fit.

To: Colchester East Action Group,

Attached are photographs of views across the proposed 'Colchester Fringe' development area defined in Tendring District Council's proposals. These photographs are of landscape views I value as a resident of [your home area].

Photographs were taken from the following locations:

[Photograph filename a] - from [location photo taken from, with lat-long if possible (see 'Notes' below), and direction photographer was facing]

[Photograph filename b] - ... etc.

I hereby give you permission to publish these photographs on the internet, and to send them to Tendring or Colchester Councils.You can also store the personal details I have provided to you on your computer(s), provided you take reasonable steps to keep them secure, and you can send them to Tendring or Colchester Councils with my photographs.

From:
[Your Name] [I am happy for my (name)/(first name only) to appear on the internet]

[Your address] [(Please include my street name only if the photos are included on the internet)/(Please include 'address supplied' only if the photos are included on the internet)/(Please do not publish any address information on the internet)]
[Your telephone number]

[I am happy for you to supply my name/address/telephone number/email address to Tendring or Colchester Council if you send them these photos.]

Regards
[Your Name]
[Date]

Notes

To obtain decimal latitude and longitude for where a photograph was taken:

1) Go to Bing Maps for the area concerned, for example here: Greenstead and Longridge Park
2) Right-click the location the photo was taken from. The latitude and longitude co-ordinates are shown.

Regards
James
Colchester East Action Group

Post-17th February 2014 Consultation Deadline Summary

The public consultation by Tendring Council ended on 17th February 2014.

Thanks to everyone who emailed me, and well-done to everyone who contacted Tendring Council. Especially well-done to Joe with his petition of getting on for 120 signatures!

See here for a Daily Gazette article about Joe's petition:
More than 100 sign petition against Tendring housing plans

The print version of that article invites letters to the paper, so please write or suggest more articles.

(I realise that several people suggested a petition in comments and emails to me. As time went on, it seemed like it might be a good idea, provided Tendring Council were obliged to accept it. I didn't have time to check that.)

Please check back here soon for a full post-17th February summary.

There are plans for a Facebook page and Twitter account - these would be used to give updates and as part of any future campaigning, alongside this blog page.

Regards
James
Colchester East Action Group

Colchester Council’s February 2014 Response to Tendring Council's Consultation

Last Update: 4 March 2014

Colchester Council’s February 2014 Consultation Response to Tendring District’s Local Plan, Pre-Submission (Focussed Changes) Document

Colchester Council have considered the Tendring Council proposals, links to relevant documents below.

(If these documents do not display well in your browser, try downloading them and viewing them outside the browser.)

Colchester Council - 3rd February 2014 - Author Karen Syrett - Tendring District Council Draft Local Plan

Colchester Council - 4th February 2014 - Tendring District Local Plan Pre-Submission Document (Focussed Changes) - Decision

Summary of Proposals and Response to 6th January 2014 to 17th February 2014 Public Consultation

Last update: 9th February 2014 - this may be the last significant update before the 17th February, 5pm deadline.
Minor updates: 13th February 2014, 6th March 2014.

Summary

The proposal is for up to 4,000 homes and a link road on the fields to the east of Greenstead and Longridge Park. The home building is proposed to start in 2024, but the link road would come first. Work could be brought forward under certain circumstances. More details can be found in the Tendring Council documents I have linked-to below.

These proposals for the 'Colchester Fringe' are part of the Tendring Council Local Plan Review, the public consultation for which ends on 17th February 2014 at 5pm, so comments must be submitted by then.

Anyone can object to, or support, the proposals, not just Tendring-area residents.

I am a member of the public who has views on these proposals.

Please tell as many people about this is as possible, I have not sent information to everyone in affected areas, by any means. Tendring Council are only creating limited publicity.

If you want to email me, please click to add a comment at the bottom of the page, and my email address will be shown (at the end, after the comment box).

Regards
James
Colchester East Action Group

Objection Summary

Comments to Tendring Council at this stage can only be within a set of well-defined areas and should either object to, or support the proposals. See the link to 'Major Changes to the Written Statement' below - that document has a detailed discussion.

I will wait for comments added below on this blog. Once I read peoples' comments I may update this page.

My current thinking is to write to Tendring Council as below. If you agree with me, please do the same. You could wait until fairly near the 17th February 2014, 5pm deadline, because I may have updated this page with other peoples' ideas - please check back!

Paragraph 109 of the National Planning Policy Framework mentioned below talks about 'protecting and enhancing valued landscapes', so to prove the landscape is valued, the more people who write to the council as below, the better! Colchester is not inside any Green Belt, but the National Planning Policy Framework wording still provides protection, in my view.

For anyone interested, the first part of the objection below is adapted from the text of Appeal Ref APP/J1535/A/13/2201035 from The Planning Inspectorate, Point 16, regarding a separate planning application elsewhere in Essex.

Objection Letter or Email

If you agree with the following, send it by letter or email, as described in the 'Major Changes to the Written Statement' link below. You may want to ask the council for acknowledgement of your comment, and for it to be displayed on the Internet.

If you send me an email (as described above), I will email you a template email/letter to use.

If you include the section in the objection refering to photos, you will need to attach or print the photos of the views below. (Permission is hereby granted to use these photos for this purpose!)

"Objection to Tendring Council Local Plan Focused Changes, January 2014:

Objection to 'Colchester Fringe' Development Area - Not Consistent with National Policy

Tendring Council, by introducing a significant amount of residential or other development into the countryside in the 'Colchester Fringe' area, would materially harm the character and appearance of the rural area contrary to the objectives of national policy (National Planning Policy Framework, 2012, paragraph 17, 5th bullet point; paragraph 109; and paragraph 81 is also related, although paragraph 81 is specific to Green Belts). This may also contravene local planning policy.

Local and national policy should collectively recognise the intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside, seek to enhance the rural landscape and visual amenity of any Green Belt or general green land, and prevent development conspicuous from within any Green Belt or general green land which would have an excessive impact on rural character.

For these reasons, as a minimum area, the sloping land east up from Salary Brook, running roughly from the A133 to Home Wood to Churn Wood (in other words from Salary Brook up the slope to nearly Slough Lane/Chapel Lane/Wivenhoe Road), should be kept completely green, as a nature reserve/amenity area. This would maintain the well-used countryside amenity area and views, and tie-in with the current smaller nature reserve designations around Salary Brook.

Attached are eight photos showing valued landscape views of this sloping area from within Greenstead and Longridge. These views are needed to prevent an overly-urban environment, and should be protected as described in the National Planning Policy Framework.

We also ask Tendring Council to consider:

Overall traffic in Colchester, even after the link road is built. There is currently a great deal of congestion.
The possibility of serious flooding from Salary Brook, if too many houses are built around the brook area.
Noise from traffic on the link road, which should be kept to a minimum. Perhaps the new road should be in a tunnel or cutting.
Public transport, possibly Hythe station, including parking, should be enhanced.
Adequate schools will need funding.
Greenstead and Longridge are already huge housing estates, the above green area should be kept as a buffer to prevent creating an enormous urban sprawl."

Tendring Council Documents

The following documents from Tendring Council include details about the plans for the fields to the east of Longridge Park and Greenstead, the 'Colchester Fringe'. I have listed them in a suggested reading order.
If you start by reading just the pages I have listed below, it will probably save you time.

1) Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA), September 2013
http://www.tendringdc.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/planning/planning%20policy/2013%20Tendring%20SHLAA.pdf
See:
Principle 3, Section 3.26, on Page 11
Broad Area 3: Colchester Fringe, on Page 61
Assumptions on housing delivery in years 11-15 (2024-2025), UE4.14, Land east of Colchester between A133 and A120, on Page 86
Colchester Fringe Map, on Page 92.

2) Tendring District Local Plan Pre-Submission Focussed Changes - Major Changes to the Written Statement, January 2014
http://www.tendringdc.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/planning/planning%20policy/Major%20Changes.pdf
See section MAJ 2.2 on Page 13 regarding the plans.
Pages 2, 3 have a detailed description of how to comment (objecting or supporting).

3) Site Promoters - Smaller Rural Settlements
http://www.tendringdc.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/planning/planning%20policy/Site%20promoters%20-%20Smaller%20rural%20settlements.pdf
(This document may be best downloaded rather then viewed directly in a browser.)
See section on 'Haven Growth Area' starting on page 23, including the map on Page 30.
The 'HGA' is also shown on a larger-scale map on page 69.

4) The Tendring District Local Plan
http://www.tendringdc.gov.uk/planning/local-plans-and-policies/view-our-local-plan
(This page has a link to 'Proposed Changes to Tendring Local Plan' mentioned below.)
Obviously, this page may change or become unavailable in future, as Tendring Council make updates.

5) Proposed Changes to Tendring Local Plan
http://www.tendringdc.gov.uk/planning/local-plans-and-policies/view-our-local-plan/pre-submission-focussed-changes-local-plan
The documents linked on this page I found difficult to read, because they are in the form of changes shown to the original planning documents.
Obviously, this page may change or become unavailable in future, as Tendring Council make updates.

National Planning Documents

1) National Planning Policy Framework
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-planning-policy-framework--2
See sections listed in 'Objection' above.

Photos of Views of Sloping Green Area Described in the Objection Above

View 1 - From between Dunnock Way and Sandpiper Close (Lat-Long 51.890730, 0.950128)

View 2 - From Junction of Hamlet Drive and Avon Way (Lat-Long 51.889859, 0.946346)

View 3 - From Junction Hewes Close and Avon Way (Lat-Long 51.889330, 0.946061)

View 4 - From Junction Magnolia Drive and Avon Way (Lat-Long 51.887810, 0.943846)

View 5 - From beside Avon Way House on Avon Way (Lat-Long 51.886979, 0.942322)

View 6 - From Junction Buffett Way and Avon Way (Lat-Long 51.886257, 0.940772)

View 7 - From near Junction of Hawthorn Avenue and Avon Way (Lat-Long 51.885883, 0.938846)

View 8 - From near Junction Scarfe Way and Avon Way (Lat-Long 51.885133, 0.937645)