PLANS for hundreds of new homes, medical facilities, business units and a care home at a former sports ground are set to be rubber stamped.
Colchester Council’s has applied for outline planning permission for the new mixed-use development, at the old home of Colchester Rugby Club, off Mill Road.
The development will see up to 350 new homes, 30 per cent of which are set to be affordable, a private hospital and a medical centre built on the former rugby club site.
Plans also feature a 75-bed care home, up to 56,000 sq m of office space and a healthcare campus with 300 homes for elderly residents.
There will also be units for food and retail businesses with a pedestrian boulevard and community park on site.
The site is part of the council’s wider Northern Gateway development, which has seen a £29 million state-of-the-art sports park open just off the A12, with a £50 million cinema and leisure complex on the way.
Officers have recommended the homes plans are approved, subject to millions of pounds being provided for infrastructure in the area.
A planning report states: “The landscape can satisfactorily accommodate this scale of development subject to appropriately designed buildings, the details of which would be subject to thorough assessment at the reserved matters stage.
“The proposal is acceptable in terms of its impact upon highway safety, including the impact on the A12 and local road network following the submission of proposed mitigation works informed by extensive detailed modelling and a sustainable transport strategy.”
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About £9 million is being requested for infrastructure improvements in the area for things like schools, roads and NHS facilities.
Ward councillor Beverley Oxford said she had raised concerns about the plans in the past.
“I wasn’t happy at all with the plans at first but there was very little we could do,” she said.
“At first they weren’t going to provide open space and we had to fight for that.
“We managed to get the green space and along with Myland Community Council we campaigned for a community centre.
“We fought tooth and nail to get what we could.
“They are covering Highwoods in concrete again. The same mistake was made years ago and we were promised it wouldn’t happen again.
“I have concerns and I was never in favour of the plans but we have done all we can do.”
Planning permission for the first phase of infrastructure, including a pedestrian boulevard, a renewable heat network has already been granted.
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