A PETITION has been launched urging residents to fight plans for thousands of homes in east Colchester.

The planning committee at Wivenhoe Town Council, chaired by Andrea Luxford-Vaughan, has joined forces with Colchester councillors Mark Cory, Cyril Liddy and Rosalind Scott against the development.

Although 2,500 homes are initially proposed, the 'garden community' could eventually see up to 9,000 being built between the A133, at Clingoe Hill, and the A120.

It forms part of a proposals involving Colchester, Tendring and Braintree Councils.

A significant number of homes are also earmarked at West Tey between Marks Tey and Coggeshall, and at Andrewsfield, west of Braintree.

The councillors want to highlight their concerns over the allocation of land, with most of the development earmarked for fields.

Asa Aldis, Wivenhoe mayor, said: “We’re concerned with the massive impact it will have on Wivenhoe.

“Online petitions are all to easy to ignore, which is why we’ve opted for a paper-based one.

“There will be groups of volunteers door knocking and leaving copies of the petition in shops.

“There will be an organic spread throughout the area, which we’re hopeful will generate a good number of signatures and believe will be more effective.

“Everyone I’ve spoken to is just as appalled as us, but there are lots of people who still don’t know about these proposals despite all the attention they’ve had.”

Gazette:

The committee’s worries centre on the environmental impact of the so-called garden communities and the pressure they will put on Colchester General Hospital and schools.

The petitions will be handed in to Colchester and Tendring’s Local Plan Committee in mid-September.

Cyril Liddy, borough councillor for Wivenhoe, said: “This is a plea to residents to make their views known to Colchester Council’s consultation and Tendring Council’s consultation because they are running parallel.

“These concerns will be taken very seriously so it’s important people express them whether they’re for or against and we’ll be making some of our own as well.”

A copy of the petition will be available online at wivenhoeforum.co.uk and around Wivenhoe.

Following the consultation, which will run this summer, Colchester’s Local Plan, which sets out sites in the borough that can be developed in the next 15 years, needs to be rubber-stamped.

It would then rely on developers coming forward to build the homes and facilities.

Residents can have their say on Colchester’s Local Plan by going to colchester.gov.uk/localplan.