Brightlingsea residents applauded as members of the town council’s planning committee unanimously voted to recommend that updated plans for a holiday park and retirement village should be refused.
Around 100 people packed the parish hall to oppose the plans which – if approved by Tendring District Council – would allow 104 holiday lodges, retirement bungalows, five detached houses, and glamping facilities, along with extensive leisure facilities, to be built on the 81-acre Lower Farm site off Robinson Road.
Plans for a leisure development on the site were approved three years ago, but Corby-based private equity business Artemis Capital Partners, has now submitted revised proposals.
At the meeting on Thursday, September 28, committee chairman Chris Paveley estimated that the revised plans showed a near 52% increase in the overall footprint of the development, with up to 190 additional bedrooms.
Members of the public lined up to speak against the development, claiming it would damage wildlife, remove valuable open space, increase traffic, put more pressure on local health provision and and affect nearby residents.
A representative from Essex Wildlife Trust said the development would “result in a net biodiversity loss” and cause a “significant increase in disturbance” around sensitive wildlife habitats.
The land – some of which was a former quarry – is said by local farmers and naturalists to be home to badgers, kingfishers, newts, shelducks, curlews, migrating birds and more. The developer’s assessment of the area’s wildlife came in for strong criticism for downplaying its extent and importance.
The main access road was said to be unsuitable for additional traffic, while a resident in nearby Mill Street – one of the routes from the site into the town centre – said the lane should be made access-only as extra traffic would render it unsafe.
The developer’s traffic forecasts were described by one resident as “patently devious”. She said that based on similar developments there would be a 190% increase in traffic along Red Barn Road.
Other speakers voiced concerns about the height of some of the buildings on the site – taller than nearby houses – obtrusive lighting, noise from a proposed outdoor amphitheatre, and the affect on local businesses from on-site restaurants and shops.
The existing Section 106 agreements – under which developers make a contribution to the local area – were also said to be inadequate. As things stand, the developer would have to pay around £800,000 towards affordable housing – which could be anywhere in the district – and make a contribution of less than £20,000 towards open space provision in the town.
Town and district councillor Jayne Chapman said she would ask for the plans to be ‘called in’, ensuring that any decision is made by TDC’s planning committee, rather than simply by planning officers. The move would also ensure that the district councillors would have to make a site visit and give Brightlingsea councillors the chance to address the committee.
The existing planning permission expires in March 2024, three years after it was first approved, and residents were told to expect that some work on roads and drainage on the site may begin in January.
