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
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