Colchester Borough Council to present the Local Plan on Monday, 12 June

Monday  12 June  6pm,  Colchester Town Hall.

Colchester Borough Council to present the Borough Plan.

Colchester Borough Council have postponed the scheduled Local Plan Meeting to  Monday 12  June 2017 at 6 pm at Colchester Town Hall.  Anyone wishing to speak briefly at the meeting should be there by 5.30 pm in order to give their name to the Clerk of the Committee.

Apparently Colchester Borough Council do not wish to discuss the proposed Local Plan during the run up to the General Election.

We need as many people as possible to attend to show continued interest in our future development.

Now that Middlewick Ranges are to be included (which was not the case in the original draft) there is a danger that Mersea’s objections to overdevelopment on the Island will be overlooked.

Also, future congestion and overloading of the Mersea road needs to be considered in the light of Middlewick Ranges.

The public are entitled to speak so if you want to do so please be there by 5.30pm to give your name in to the clerk of the meeting.

Any queries, please call Sarah on 383326.

Proposed housing development on Mersea

Further to the post setting out the Society’s submission on the proposed housing development, here is a link to some other submissions on the subject to Colchester Borough Council which are likely to be of interest to readers of this website.

John Akker

Sarah Shehadeh

West Mersea Town Council

Heraldry

The first of the Society’s autumn lectures will take place at Mersea Museum on Tuesday 4th October 2016, starting at 7.30 p.m.  when Martin Clarke will be talking about heraldry.

All are welcome (members and non-members alike): the admission fee is £2 and light refreshments will be provided.

The AGM and a talk by Sue Howlett on Mersea in Tudor Times will follow on Tuesday 1st November.

The Society’s submission on the Colchester Borough Council Local Plan 2017-2032 for Mersea Island

The Society has submitted an objection letter to Colchester Borough Council worded as follows:

I am submitting these comments on behalf of the Mersea Island Society which represents a membership of 500 residents.

The Society objects to the proposals for erection of 350 new homes for the following reasons :-

• Section 6-217 of the plan states “there are approx. 3200 homes at present and the preferred sites could deliver an additional 350 houses, a level that reflects the availability of existing facilities and services.”

• However figures obtained recently from Colchester BC tax department show that the actual number of dwellings at 3580 is already in excess of the proposed sustainable levels.  This confirms the planned capacity has been reached already and that there are insufficient services and infrastructure available to support additional housing, equating at reasonable estimate to 1000 residents and 500 cars. General observation and experience on the Island makes this evident anyway.

Open Garden Coffee Morning

Committee member Marica Frost is organising an Open Garden Coffee Morning on Thursday 8 September to raise funds for MacMillan Cancer Trust.

The event will take place between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at 3 Oakwood Gardens West Mersea, and will include Bring and Buy and a Raffle.

Entrance (inclusive of a homemade scone and a drink) is £2.50.  All are welcome.

Mersea under threat

John Akker has produced a poster providing information on the implications of the 350 additional houses on the Island proposed by Colchester Borough Council under the Planning Policy Preferred Options local plan, and the actions that can be taken to defeat the plan.  Please:

• Download the poster from here and display it.
• View the plans on the West Mersea Town Council website here.
• Attend the meeting at the MICA to discuss the proposed development which has now been rescheduled for 7 p.m. on 1st September.
• Make representations online here by 5 p.m. on 16th September.
• Write objecting to Planning Policy, CBC.
• Telephone our Colchester Borough Councillors.