Question?

Thank you for your question.

The Master Developer for the TCB Garden Community is ‘Latimer by Clarion Housing Group’, their website can be found at: Latimer | The Garden Community where you can find their contact details.

Thank you for your question.

The Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community Project is not connected to the Community Gardens within Colchester’s Dutch Quarter.  I would recommend that you contact Colchester City Council with your enquiry, their email address is: customerservices@colchester.gov.uk

Thank you for your question with regard to the Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community.  The main headlines from the Submission Version of the Development Plan Document are:

• Provision of around 7,500 new homes with a minimum of 30% affordable housing.
• Allocation of a new Country Park for Salary Brook, and Strategic Green Gaps adjacent to Elmstead Market and Wivenhoe.
• 20-minute walkable neighbourhoods supported by active travel modes and the early provision of the Rapid Transit System (RTS).
• A new Sports and Leisure Park on the area of land south of the A133.
• £500m of infrastructure investment.
• A new Business Park and Knowledge Based Employment Park.
• High standards in terms of climate change mitigation, adaptation and sustainable design.
• Extensive green infrastructure with development shaped by nature and biodiversity.

The 7,500 new homes must ensure an appropriate mix of dwelling size, type and tenure that broadly reflects the housing needs for the area and adequately addresses the needs of residents on low incomes and housing within the Garden Community should meet the need of different groups including the following:

• Specialist Housing (for Older People and People with Disabilities)
• Student Accommodation
• Key Worker Housing
• Families with children
• Affordable Housing, in accordance with the national definition as applicable at the time.
• Gypsies and Travellers
• Self and Custom Build Homes
  

I hope that this has answered your query.

Thank you for your enquiry. 

It would appear that the site to which you refer falls outside of the Garden Community site allocation boundary being located to the north of the A120.  Emerging policy for the Garden Community requires that Biodiversity Net Gain should be delivered either on-site or immediately adjacent to the site.  In the first instance it should be achieved on-site and early evidence suggests that this is likely be achieved.  Given the stage of policy preparation there are currently no plans to identify areas suitable for mitigation interventions outside of the site boundary.  Furthermore, it would not fall within the remit of the Local Authority to identify and provide funding for such work should this be required, rather it would be for the site developer/applicant of any future planning application to bring this forward.

Thank you for your question.

7,500-8,000 homes are proposed in the Garden Community. The UKs average household size is 2.4, so 7,500-8,000 homes would equate to a population of 18,000-19,200. The Councils are already working very closely with colleagues in the NHS to determine what facilities and staff will need to be put in place in the early stages of the development to ensure that the health needs of the new residents will be met without detriment to existing communities.

Thank you for your question.

The policies and proposals in the Draft Plan have been assessed as part of a Sustainability Appraisal (SA), which has assessed the Draft Plan in terms of its social, economic and environmental impacts. The SA is a legal requirement and assesses short, medium and long terms effects and the cumulative effects of the plan. The SA report can be viewed on the TCB Engagement website, here:

https://talk.tcbgardencommunity.co.uk/useful-documents

As the plan progresses, further work will be carried out as part of the SA process to help ensure that the likely effects of the plan are understood, and any negative effects can be mitigated.

Thank you for your question on the impact of the new A120/A133 link road.

The link road is not intended to be a bypass, it is part of an integrated transport approach to accommodate the proposed Garden Community and benefit existing residents and visitors.

The link road serves three purposes:

a) Access for Garden Community residents onto the main roads of the A120 and A133 rather than pushing traffic directly into Colchester;

b) Providing an alternative route for traffic coming via the A12 or A120 with a destination in the southeast of Colchester;

c) Providing access to a proposed Park and Choose site to the east of Colchester.

On (a), the link road allows vehicular access to be on the far eastern side of Colchester. This provides optimum flexibility and minimises environmental impact. For example, if a business park on the proposed development is generating goods vehicle trips, then the link road helps keep those trips on the strategic road network.

For (b), the link road provides an alternative for some but not others, and once the Garden Community builds out, it does not, alone, offer a solution to congestion problems along the A133 towards Greenstead and Hythe. However, by creating a link road the traffic situation is forecast to be better in Colchester than without the link road since some drivers can use the link road to choose to enter or leave Colchester at more convenient points for their destinations. The forecast modelling report that accompanies the planning application provides further explanation, illustrations and analysis (see https://planning.essex.gov.uk/planningapplication.aspx?AppNo=CC/TEN/31/21)

This is the importance of (c) and the substantial wider investment in bus rapid transit, using systems with a proven record of success elsewhere, and local walking and cycling improvements. The proposed Park and Choose site on the east of Colchester would provide an alternative for some drivers to complete the last leg of their journeys through the town sustainably, contributing to a reduction in congestion and environmental alleviation. Furthermore, the rapid transit and cycling infrastructure provides a fast, convenient and viable travel alternative for residents and visitors to the proposed Garden Community, reducing its impact on congestion and environment.

We hope the above explanation goes some way towards answering your question. Thank you for your interest in transport plans in Colchester: https://www.essexhighways.org/highway-schemes-and-developments/highway-schemes/colchester-schemes/colchester-future-transport

Thank you for your question. 

The Garden Community will not be built over night. It will be developed over a 30–40 year period, over which time one or more new generations of teachers, GPs and other essential public service officials will need to be trained and enter into the workplace to serve the needs of residents both at the expanding development and in the wider area. The Garden Community also offers significant potential for new employment opportunities, not only in public service, but in business and industrial activity on land close to the A120 linked with Freeport East, knowledge-based research and development employment on land close to the University of Essex and through the provision of flexible workspace in and around the new neighbourhood centres.  

Through the planning process and the use of legal agreements, the Councils can secure the necessary land and buildings for schools, health and other community activities and ensure they are aligned and phased with the delivery of housing. However, ensuring the facilities are staffed by the necessary teachers, GPs and other officials will be a responsibility for the education authority, the NHS and the Councils working together and in partnership with other public sector bodies. 

The Councils are already working very closely with colleagues in the NHS and the Education Authority to determine what facilities and staff will need to be put in place in the early stages of the development to ensure that the health and education needs of the new residents will be met without detriment to existing communities. The Councils are also working with the developers, the University of Essex and specialist consultants to ensure the opportunity to maximise new employment at the site is taken.    

Thank you for your question. 

The Councils are consulting on policies which set out various infrastructure requirements, which, subject to the feedback received, will then be compiled into a separate Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP) to be prepared as part of the Final Plan. 

In relation to the ‘Green Cordon’ this is related to the Link Rd proposals which now have planning permission and further information is available on the ECC project website. Within the Draft Plan you can review the proposed policies of particular relevance including Policy 1 Part B which relates to the neighbourhoods which proposes the following: “Each of the three neighbourhoods will be accessible by private car and commercial vehicles but will be accessed independently from separate junctions on the new A120-A133 Link Road (as opposed to the A133 and A120 themselves) to give greater priority to the Rapid Transit System and other sustainable travel opportunities.”. The Key Diagram illustrates a prioritized public transport access point on the A133. Policy 7 also sets out various elements relating to promoting sustainable movement within, to and from the Garden Community. 

Policy 9 relates to the need for infrastructure which will include waste water treatment. This states that proposals for the Garden Community must demonstrate that the required infrastructure is provided to support the development. The Councils will undertake further work in this area and liaise with the relevant stakeholders. The findings and any specific infrastructure requirements will be included in the IDP. 

A Stage 1 Integrated Water Management Strategy (IWMS) was prepared for the Section 1 Local Plan. This identified feasible and deliverable strategic options for water supply and wastewater demonstrating that the quantum of proposed growth can be accommodated with infrastructure investment. AECOM have been commissioned to prepare a Stage 2 IWMS to support the Plan for the Garden Community, which will identify specific integrated water management options and strategies. The Stage 2 IWMS will feed into the masterplanning work, which will progress following the close of the Draft Plan consultation. It will identify a range of options for how water and flood risk can be managed in an integrated and sustainable way.

Thank you for your question.

The Garden Community site is predominately agricultural land and a map is provided in Section 3.13 of the ‘Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community Masterplan: Baseline Report’ (available at: https://talk.tcbgardencommunity.co.uk/useful-documents). The quality of agricultural land is predominantly Good to Moderate (through the centre of the Site Study Area) or Excellent (Western portion of the Site Study Area). The precise area in hectares affected will differ depending upon the alternative options, and the 2 approaches set out in the Draft Plan which is subject to consultation. It will also be influenced by whether certain areas remain in productive use as part of the proposed strategic green gaps or within the strategic development area as part of the overall approach to open space.  It is therefore not possible to be explicit on a figure in hectares. More information about the site is available in the Masterplan Baseline and the Spatial Options reports available as above, which provides an analysis of key issues, opportunities and constraints influencing the site.