A new housing estate is being planned to the north of Colchester. It will have in the region of 1800 new homes, 2 schools and a shopping precinct. There will also be a village green, playgrounds and a new local community centre.
Colchester North
The new development will be called Colchester North and will be built by Mersea Homes and Countryside Properties. They wish to build the development on the 247-acre plot of land off Nayland Road. There will be public consultations before planning applications are made to Colchester Council in Spring 2012.
The plans which will be displayed at the Myland Community Council’s office at 101 Nayland Road, Colchester, from Monday 12th December between 9am and 1pm on weekdays.
A website has been launched by Mersea Homes Ltd to provide “accurate information” about the development: www.colchesternorth.co.uk. Currently there is only a form to register your interest though.
Colchester Council first proposed developing the area 3 years ago. It seems ideally situated for the development of a new village. Both Colchester Council and the 2 developers are keen to build a low density area that will provide a fantastic opportunity of families to take a step onto or up the property ladder while still having access to schools and other amenities.
Stuart Cook, Mersea Homes’ managing director, said
“We believe 1,800 properties, which will be mainly family homes, is the way forward. We feel times have changed and we’re the type of developer which doesn’t want to deliver high density, unattractive schemes. We want a more traditional, lower density scheme with green space and proper infrastructure. We think we can deliver a scheme that’s low density, with lots of green space and the right infrastructure that we’re going to be proud of and people want to buy.”
The development is likely to be similar to the development at Great Notley where a village style housing development was built, with schools, pubs and shopping. It will have a rural feel while still having excellent infrastructure and providing affordable housing as well as more luxury housing for the people of Essex.
There is already some opposition to the plans as some local residents have set up the Love Myland committee to discuss and possibly oppose the building.
Two drop-in consultation events have been organized, the first is at the Queen Boudica Primary School from 4:45pm to 8pm on Thursday 8 December, with another drop-in session at the Mile End Recreation Ground Pavilion from 10am to 2pm on Saturday 10 December.
New Community Centre at Mile End Recreation Ground
The development will also see a new community centre built at the Mile End Recreation ground to provide youngsters and adults alike with a place to, to socialise and help the local community develop and grow.
At a time when new homes and social housing is at an all time low, this will come as a great relief for many. However, it is also a hard time for the housing market at the moment. The market will need to pick up fast to ensure that this development is a success.
Essex certainly needs new homes and developments such as this, which strive to build low density housing and provide good ammenities are the only way to meet the demand for new housing while preserving the rural aspect of Essex.
