Gladman Land Objection Reasons So Far

(Updated: 17th June 2017 - Added info about Colchester Council's objection. 24 June 2017 - Clarification re views vs landscapes.)

Here is a summary of objection reasons to the Gladman Land proposal, that we have so far.

These are taken from my chat with Councillor Mike Lilley (see 1 June 2017 post, below) and other discussions.

Please remember that your own objections are best, written in your own words. Use the ideas below as you see fit, including copying if you want! (If you do copy, make clear where you have changed any standard text below.)

Here is the link to the planning application, where you can comment:

Tendring District Council - Planning Reference 17/00859/OUT

Colchester Council's response to the planning application can be seen under 'Documents' on the above planning application page. This can be used for objection ideas.

Also, the following ideas can be used.

Please see later in this post regarding views vs landscapes - destruction of a view is not a valid objection reason, but landscapes are an important planning consideration.

Landscape damage:

This development would destroy a sensitive landscape transition from semi-urban Longridge Park in Colchester to the countryside beyond. It would sit on fields sloping up from Salary Brook, which are visible going along Bromley Road and from Longridge Park opposite in Colchester. These fields form a gradual, natural break between the two environments.
The proposed site is not allocated for housing in the local plan, and very likely won't be in the emerging local plan. It is countryside.
The new housing would be impossible to effectively screen, because it would be on rising land. Even a 20 metre tree buffer would not screen it.
This particular site has more landscape sensitivity than others. The development would have significant landscape impact and visibility.
There are other sites in Tendring District where housing can go which won't cause this level of landscape harm.
Tendring are currently pro-actively planning, and putting together a new local plan, in accordance with the NPPF and this application is clearly premature.
This is a piecemeal, ad-hoc planning application. Please reject this application.

From Councillor Mike Lilley (copied from earlier post):

• Any reasons you can think of yourself, using your local knowledge.
• Lack of green space, over-development.
• Look at schools - how much capacity? Developers offered to give £500,000 in Rowhedge.
• Local dentists, doctors, schools - how many free places do they have? Ask them. Do they have physical room to expand?
• Objection: destroy green space and buffer.
• Proposed Garden city will supply housing in this area.
• In Rowhedge, someone else offered an alternative piece of land - so they supported that instead for local plan.
• Farmhouses on land were quite old in Rowhedge - historical expert looked at - should be listed. Developer could still build around them, though.
• Look at hedgerows, would have to destroy to build road to enter site? Historic hedgerows?
• Ask for properly-built housing, green housing, plugs for electric cars, etc.
• Will this impact the proposed garden city and its schools and highways provision?
• What is land currently used for? Farming - valuable agricultural land cannot always be used. There are grades and lifetimes of land. In Rowhedge, land was split between beneficiaries in inheritance, so they wanted to sell it.
• If they propose a transport plan - e.g. bus passes - who will pay for it? Who will enforce any proposed parking restrictions?
• Needs an expert in planning to look at the application.
• What is an affordable house? Can be high cost. Who will it be affordable by?
• Tendring will get council tax, Colchester will pay for services?
• 135 homes proposed, so, say, 300 cars - maybe 300-500 cars extra on Bromley Road and Harwich Road. Put pressure on highways about this.
• Object to lack of infrastructure. Infrastructure that will go in in garden city - to combat current lack of infrastructure, would be needed for this too.
• Object about destruction of countryside. [A view, for example a sea view from a resident's house, cannot be protected. A landscape can be protected, and is an important planning consideration.] Concentrate on planning matters only.
• Gladman have said they would build pumping station to prevent flooding - check everything about this. (With building of houses - rain has nowhere to go.)
• Over-development and loss of green space. Watch out for objecting on basis of lack of affordable housing - developer can counter by supplying.

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

Colchester Local Plan Meeting - 12 June 2017

The next Colchester Local Plan meeting is on 12th June 2017. (Check here before you travel, in case there are any changes to the meeting details.)

The new draft Local Plan has been published and will be discussed, see the agenda.

Some notes from a look at the documents:

1) There are 3 small/medium areas of new housing allocated to the North of Clingoe Hill/A133. These can be seen by zooming-in to the 'Colchester Borough' map which is linked from the agenda.

2) In the 'Local Plan Submission Part 1' document, I found this:

Policy SP8 - Tendring/Colchester Borders Garden Community
The adopted policies map identifies the broad location for the development of a new garden community of which the details and final number of homes will be set out in a Strategic Growth Development Plan Document to be prepared jointly between Colchester BC and Tendring DC and which will incorporate around 2,500 dwellings within the Plan period (as part of an overall total of between 7,000-9,000 homes) and provision for Gypsy and Travellers. 

The Strategic Growth DPD will set out the nature, form and boundary of the new community. The document will be produced in consultation with stakeholders and will include a concept plan showing the disposition and quantity of future land-uses, and give a three dimensional indication of the urban design and landscape parameters which will be incorporated into any future planning applications; together with a phasing and implementation strategy which sets out how the rate of development will be linked to the provision of the necessary social,physical and environmental infrastructure to ensure that the respective phases of the development do not come forward until the necessary infrastructure has been secured. The DPD will provide the framework for the subsequent development of more detailed masterplans and other design and planning guidance for the Tendring / Colchester Borders Garden Community.

If you find anything else of interest, let me know!

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

Gladman Land - Bromley Road Development

Updated: 15 June 2017 - added clarification about landscapes and views.

1. Introduction

Gladman Land have now submitted their planning application for 'up to 145 dwellings' on 'Land to The South of Bromley Road'.

Their application can be found here:

Tendring District Council - Planning Reference 17/00859/OUT

or search for 'Bromley Road' on the Tendring Council Planning Portal.

Gladman Land are a housing company who sometimes submit planning applications on land that is not allocated for housing. When they receive refusals from councils, they take them through to appeal, where in the past they have been successful.

To help oppose this:

• Submit your personal objections to Tendring Council, as described on their website. Individually-written objections with your own thoughts are best, although there are some ideas below. I have been told that petitions don't add value. Check with the planning department if you need clarification.
• Consider volunteering as described below. (Commissioning of a planning consultants' report would be urgent if it is to be done.)

2. Project

I had a very useful chat with Councillor Michael Lilley of Old Heath and The Hythe ward, who was involved in their organised opposition to a Gladman Land development proposal. My notes from that chat are below, in section 3. Thanks to Councillor Tim Young for arranging the chat.

For an organised objection, someone is needed to co-ordinate the following work.

Possible strategy:

a) Assess the risk of this development being approved. Tendring Council are likely to refuse it. However, assuming Gladman appeal to the government planning inspector, will the inspector need to follow 'the letter of the law' and allow 'sustainable development'? Or will they be able to use their judgement with respect to the emerging local plan? What is the risk?

b) Organise work on the items below, where relevant to this case.

If volunteers come forward, I can put people in contact with each other. There is an email button available from the 'View my complete profile' link under 'About Me' on this Internet page.

3. Notes from chat with Councillor Michael Lilley on 30 April 2017

3.1 Actions suggested

One or more people are needed to work on/co-ordinate any of the following items:

• East Donyland Parish Council paid for a report by planning consultants on the Gladman application at Battleswick Farm. (Cost was £500?) This was really good. Look this up - will be on CBC planning website as Parish Council’s objection to the Battleswick Farm, Rowhedge Road development. To contact the parish council: East Donyland Parish Council, Parish Clerk is Nicki Matthews, see the East Donyland Parish Council website.
• Use ward councillors’ locality budget to pay for our own report by planning consultants?
• Do comment on developer’s web page - otherwise they might say to council that no-one bothered responding.
• Speak to Colchester and Tendring MPs - go to hustings for June 2017 elections.
• Call open, public meeting - MPs (Colchester and Tendring), borough councillors invited.
• Councillors are there to defend resident’s rights. Get them on board.
• Parson’s Heath - get their borough councillors on board, too.
• Talk to Tendring planning officers.
• Make residents aware, build-up support. Get loads of people together. Publicity.  
• Poster campaign to raise awareness. Leaflet drops - try to get everyone to object to council.
• Put up posters - mention overdevelopment of green space.
• Rosie at CAUSE - might be able to help.
• Members of public should go to local plan meetings in Tendring and Colchester.
• Make sure land not accepted into new Local Plan by Tendring District Council, Colchester Borough Council.
• Ask for meeting with Gladman Land? Rowhedge team asked for a meeting with Gladman Land.
• Get county councillors on board. When find out who new county councillors are in May 2017, get them on board. Julie Young is currently our county councillor for Greenstead Ward.
• Look at results of county council elections in May 2017 - get meeting with new councillors - schools and roads - they can look at.
• Petition - councils like paper petitions. Sways planning committee, can be better than online.
• Respond to any appeal by the developers to the Planning Inspector.

3.2 Objection reasons

• Any reasons you can think of yourself, using your local knowledge.
• Lack of green space, over-development.
• Look at schools - how much capacity? Developers offered to give £500,000 in Rowhedge.
• Local dentists, doctors, schools - how many free places do they have? Ask them. Do they have physical room to expand?
• Objection: destroy green space and buffer.
• Proposed Garden city will supply housing in this area.
• In Rowhedge, someone else offered an alternative piece of land - so they supported that instead for local plan.
• Farmhouses on land were quite old in Rowhedge - historical expert looked at - should be listed. Developer could still build around them, though.
• Look at hedgerows, would have to destroy to build road to enter site? Historic hedgerows?
• Ask for properly-built housing, green housing, plugs for electric cars, etc.
• Will this impact the proposed garden city and its schools and highways provision?
• What is land currently used for? Farming - valuable agricultural land cannot always be used. There are grades and lifetimes of land. In Rowhedge, land was split between beneficiaries in inheritance, so they wanted to sell it.
• If they propose a transport plan - e.g. bus passes - who will pay for it? Who will enforce any proposed parking restrictions?
• Needs an expert in planning to look at the application.
• What is an affordable house? Can be high cost. Who will it be affordable by?
• Tendring will get council tax, Colchester will pay for services?
• 135 homes proposed, so, say, 300 cars - maybe 300-500 cars extra on Bromley Road and Harwich Road. Put pressure on highways about this.
• Object to lack of infrastructure. Infrastructure that will go in in garden city - to combat current lack of infrastructure, would be needed for this too.
• Object about destruction of countryside. [A view, for example a sea view from a resident's house, cannot be protected. A landscape can be protected, and is an important planning consideration.] Concentrate on planning matters only.
• Gladman have said they would build pumping station to prevent flooding - check everything about this. (With building of houses - rain has nowhere to go.)
• Over-development and loss of green space. Watch out for objecting on basis of lack of affordable housing - developer can counter by supplying.

3.3 General notes

• Mike Lilley used to be on planning committee.
• Rowhedge Residents Association, an action group, was set up.
• They had a public meeting, 130 people attended.
• Gladman have money and solicitors.
• Gladman have won a few appeals to the planning inspector in Tendring.
• In Rowhedge, residents were lucky because the application was: a) rejected by local plan b) rejected by planning officers. Appeal may still be made to government planning inspector, though.
• Council planning officers don’t always know all the rules - planning consultants can assist with objections.
• Gladman Land often propose small developments.
• Kevin Bentley - their county councillor in Rowhedge. He was very helpful and worked across party lines.
• Government planning inspectors have been instructed to find in favour of developers more often than previously.
• Tendring are behind - unfortunate, they don’t have a local plan.

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