MP raises concerns over safety of Army site homes

Plans to build more than 200 homes on a former Army site could make walking to school unsafe, an MP said.

Blueprints for the disused Army Base Repair Organisation site, in Colchester, Essex, look set to be approved by councillors at a meeting on Thursday.

The city's Labour MP, Pam Cox, said there were "concerns about the impact of increased traffic on safety and active travel routes" for pupils travelling to and from a nearby primary school.

If approved, an existing public right of way would be retained, a council report said.

The planning committee at the Liberal Democrat-led Colchester City Council will decide on the proposal after concerns were raised by Cox, who is also a city councillor for the area.

"The views of the leads of the primary school neighbouring the site… have not been sought by the developers," she wrote.

The planning officer overseeing the application has recommended it be approved.

Cox said the site on Flagstaff Road, which includes a section of a Roman circus, was of "national historical significance".

The city's high steward and former MP, Sir Bob Russell, said the site was used as part of a walking bus route by pupils of the St John's Green Primary School, which has two campuses in the area.

"I'm astonished with the recommendation of approval," he told BBC News.

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