Colchester: Group's concern at stadium scheme (From Gazette)

Colchester: Group's concern at stadium scheme

Colchester United may have been cheering, but not everyone is happy with multi-million pound plans to transform the north side of Colchester.

On Thursday, five applications were delivered to planning officers at Lexden Grange, Colchester, by representatives from Colchester Council, Colchester United and the health authority.

These outlined a 260-acre development, to include a 10,000-seat community stadium, a business park, 1,700 homes, the third phase of the Northern Approach Road and a new A12 interchange.

The scheme is seen as the key to the future economic development of Colchester, but Ian Richards thinks it is in completely the wrong location.

Mr Richards is spokesman for the Save Severalls Group, which has long campaigned to save the hospital site.

Much of the parkland and some of the historic buildings will be preserved in the development, but Mr Richards is not happy with the scheme.

"The Northern Approach Road may be fantastic, but it will just feed into the existing bottleneck at North Station," he said. He added 1,700 homes was too many and Tollgate was a better location."

By Lisa Cockrell

Reporter's e-mail: lisa_cockrell@thisisessex.co.uk

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