DID you object to the building of 1,000 houses on Middlewick during a limited consultation period back in 2017?

If so, you still have 2-3 weeks to update, amend or write further objection for the upcoming hearing to decide if the development should go ahead or be thrown out.

If you didn’t hear about this mad idea to turn half this valuable wildlife site and open space into a housing estate until after August 2017, or missed the deadline to object, then you won’t be able to make your views known or object at the hearing that decides its fate.

Sound fair?

On the other hand, the site “owner” (MoD) is allowed to make public crucial evidence to support their plans as late as December 2020, in the form of an ecological report which claims that building on the Wick will increase its “biodiversity” by as much as 16 per cent. It also suggests ways to restrict public access on what will be left.

There has been no opportunity for public objection to this report, and little time for it to be evaluated, although a number of statements make clear that the area to be developed has not been fully assessed at this stage.

However, this hasn’t stopped the report dismissing this part of the site - the extensive grassland between Mersea Road and Old Heath – as of “negligible conservation value”.

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It is a lot easier to claim the development will increase biodiversity if the footprint on the build is dismissed as of no value.

If you made a written objection in 2017, well done – this will be considered at the hearing and you should have already been notified by the council by now.

If you want to update, strengthen or add to your original objection (up to 3,000 words) don’t hold back or hang about - the submission deadline is April 6, 2021.

You can check if you are on the original list of objectors, what you wrote and take a look at all other relevant information including that ecology report mentioned above, on the Colchester Council website.

Alternatively, go to the “Save the Middlewick Ranges” Facebook group and ask – all relevant information will be available there, plus some help and ideas if wanted on how to strengthen and update your objection.

Richard Kilshaw

via email