COLCHESTER Council’s leader has conceded it is inevitable “some form of development” will be built on the Colchester-Tendring border amid plans for 9,000 homes.

It comes as plans have been put forward for a joint committee to be established for a Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community Cabinet which will oversee impending development.

If it goes ahead, the committee will be made up of members of Colchester Council, Tendring Council and Essex County Council.

The garden community proposal itself will see between 7,500 and 9,000 homes on the Tendring-Colchester border constructed over the next 30 years.

Colchester Council’s leader Paul Dundas said despite his personal reservations about the development, he believes it would be “idiotic” to not join the committee.

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“Due to only a small section of the plans falling into Colchester Council’s administrative area, if there wasn’t a joint committee then we wouldn’t actually get to have a say,” said Mr Dundas.

“I don’t know why we’re worried about our planning committee losing power because, over the next 15 years, I can’t see any planning applications here actually being brought to Colchester Council.

“We are probably in the weakest position as most of it is not in Colchester but it effects Colchester.

“Will the councillors of 2045 look back at us and say we were right to leave it all to Tendring, or will they think we were right to have a seat at the table for the past 25 or so years?

“If we choose not to have a seat at the table I think they will look at us and think what a bunch of idiots, frankly, even if it is imperfect.”

Before he was elected to become council leader, Mr Dundas had long opposed the plans for the garden community to be built.

He added: “It is not lost on me that as somebody who spent a great deal of time pointing out why I thought it was more likely not to work than work, it’s fallen to me to try and oversee getting it underway.

“I have to accept the inspector’s decision and I have to accept probably whatever we do, in some form or another, development will happen there.”

Mr Dundas proposed to agree the decision to set up the joint committee at the next full council meeting, with the factor it can be reviewed over time.