A MANAGING director is being appointed to oversee the development of three 'ground-breaking' garden communities.

Three large-scale developments are each set to deliver 2,500 homes up to 2033 as part of the Local Plan — one at West Tey, one to the east of Colchester close to Essex University, and one to the west of Braintree.

North Essex Garden Communities Ltd (NEGC), the company set up by four councils to lead on the development, is now ready to appoint a managing director to oversee the project.

Colchester Borough Council, Tendring District Council, Braintree Council and Essex County Council are working together to deliver the garden communities, which could provide up to 45,000 homes between them.

They will include business space, transport links, schools, health facilities and green spaces.

John Spence CBE, chairman of NEGC said: “Over the past two years the NEGC programme has continued to progress, receiving over £1milllion in funding from Government, and gaining recognition both for its scale and ambition.

“What we are proposing is ground breaking, not just because of the scale but because it is truly about creating cohesive sustainable communities rather than just thousands of houses.

"We need to seek out the very best talent with the capability commensurate with the ambition.”

Recruitment will be taking place across the summer with the desire to have the managing director in post by the autumn.

A public consultation will run for eight weeks from June 16, before the draft plan is sent off to the planning inspectorate.