Over 100 people quizzed planners at a consultation event about a new local plan for the Tendring district that could allow for up to 300 homes being built in Brightlingsea over the next 16 years.
The local plan, currently being compiled by Tendring District Council (TDC), is being driven by the government’s requirement for an additional 7,000-8,000 more homes in the district by 2041 – on top of the 9,600 that were already proposed. Four options are being considered, which could also see the establishment of new garden villages of up to 5,000 homes in the district.
At the Brightlingsea event, held in the Parish Hall, local residents expressed concerns about the ability of the single road into the town to cope with additional traffic, where a large number of additional houses might be situated, how local schools and health services might cope, and pressures on utilities including water provision.
TDC’s planning pllicy team leader Paul Woods told Brightlingsea Info: “The event felt busy, there was a good atmosphere, and we had a lot of really good conversations.”
He added: “We were able to explain the consultation in more detail and highlight the next steps in the process – a second consultation is likely to take place in the autumn, which will include more detailed site proposals and draft planning policies. We were also able to discuss the approach to infrastructure provision, which is a critically important issue for the Local Plan review.”
A six-week public consultation closes on April 14 and a 77-question response can be found online at www.tendringdc.gov.uk/consultations. Detailed information about the proposals can be found at https://tendringdc.oc2.uk/document/46. For those who can’t access the online version, a hard copy is available in libraries and at Clacton Town Hall. Answers can also be submitted to [email protected].
Alongside the consultation, TDC has also issued a call for sites – “looking for proposals and suggestions for housing and mixed-use developments of different scales, commercial development, community-led or environment-led proposals for community facilities, habitat creation and open space”.
