Upset over plans for new shop next to Bonnie Blue Oak pub

Paul Hiller, the owner of the Bonnie Blue Oak pub in Oak Road, has submitted an application to build a shop on a plot of land right next to the pub which was bought by the Hiller family in 2014.

But some residents in Tiptree have objected to the plans citing traffic concerns, the destruction of historic hedgerows and the number of shops that are already operating in Tiptree.

Four residents made formal objections during the consultation period.

One wrote: “There is no need for a shop at this location as the village is well-served with two supermarkets, a convenience store and an off-licence, as well as the factory shop and Shell garage.”

Other residents said although they objected to the building of a new shop in the village, they had no problem with extending the pub itself.

One wrote: “We have no objection to the existing public house.”

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In a separate objection, a resident added: “I am all for the pub having an extension as it’s a lovely pub that does well, and the noise is always kept to a minimum – but will we be able to say the same about the shop?”

Another resident voiced their concern about the potential noise pollution that would be caused in a residential area, writing: “Should industrial freezers be installed, we would also have noise pollution.

“We have a window to a bedroom on the side of our property – if noise pollution does happen it would render that bedroom unfit for purpose.”

Miss Colchester Bonnie HIller who died in a car crash

Essex Highways submitted a recommendation of refusal citing the “confusing” nature of the application, adding that Mr Hiller should confirm the location of bike parking facilities and wheelchair access in the proposal.

Following the objections, Colchester Council agreed to extend the period of the planning application, saying there were “unresolved issues that will take longer than the usual time period for determining planning applications”.

Mr Hiller is the father of the late Bonnie Hiller, a beauty queen who won Miss Colchester before she tragically died in a car crash in 2014.

The pub was renamed in her memory but her devoted family.