A Colchester couple is trying for a second time to build a home in Brightlingsea on a site in a flood zone.

A previous application to build on the former Cooper & Brome yard in Colne Road was refused in 2022 by Tendring Council planners because of the risk of flooding.

Now Mr & Mrs Hockey have submitted revised plans for a three-storey, two-bedroomed property with no living accommodation on the ground floor. The proposed building will feature a garage on the ground floor, balconies to the rear of the first and second floors, and be topped with a dark grey zinc roof.

A flood risk assessment submitted with the application states that the first floor level of the building would be “above the anticipated flood risks for both one-in-200-year and one-in-1,000 year events”.

The couple’s architects say that the house passes an “exception test” for buildings in flood risk areas because “it replaces a dilapidated commercial site with a sustainable residential dwelling that incorporates high standards of flood resilience”.