Essex garden community housing projects 'unsound'

Plans for 34,000 homes are unlikely to go ahead after proposed garden communities in Essex were described as "unsound" by the planning inspector.

The development west of Marks Tey near Colchester of up to 24,000 homes, and 10,000 to the west of Braintree were said to be "not justified or deliverable" by the inspector.

But a third scheme for 9,000 homes east of Colchester was deemed "sustainable".

Council leaders have expressed "huge disappointment" at the decision.

The Garden Communities project to build 43,000 homes over several decades is a collaboration of Tendring, Colchester and Braintree district councils with support from Essex County Council.

It is likely some councils may now have to go back to the drawing board with their local plans.

Braintree's Conservative council leader, Graham Butland, said the decision was "a huge disappointment and one that will adversely impact on the district for years to come".

He warned that "further urban sprawl is now a real threat" in Braintree.

But Rosie Pearson, of the Campaign Against Urban Sprawl in Essex, welcomed the news that two of the garden communities "had been banished for good" and called for "heads to roll" as "quite rightly, the planning inspector has found the new towns vanity project unsound".

The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government said it would "remain committed to supporting new garden communities and helping these schemes to get off the ground".

In the government's spring budget, a £272m grant from the Housing Infrastructure Fund was announced to "be used to realign the eastern section of the A12 between junctions 24 and 25" to prepare for proposed new garden communities.

But it has not been confirmed if Essex will still receive this money.

The inspector's conclusion could still be challenged by developers and landowners, but the BBC understands the councils are "minded not to follow any route of appeal" due to the costs involved.

The inspector will provide the detailed modifications to the plans in three weeks.

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