THE development of a 136-home estate in Great Bentley has been put on hold following a row over a cycle path.

Developer Taylor Wimpey was last year given outline permission by a planning inspector for the estate on 19-acres of farmland off Weeley Road.

Detailed blueprints covering matters such as access, layout, scale, appearance and landscaping went before Tendring Council’s planning committee last week – along with a separate application to remove a condition imposed by the inspector for a three-metre-wide pedestrian and cycle link.

The developer wants to reduce the size of the path to be just 1.9 metres, and for it to pedestrian-only, after finding there was not enough space between two neighbouring homes.

Sam Caslin, from Taylor Wimpey, said: “We acquired this site at the start of 2021 and this included land between 74 and 76 Birch Avenue to provide a pedestrian link.

“The narrowest pinch-point of the footpath is three metres.

“Aside from knocking down a suitable and fairly modern family home, there’s no way of making this wider.

“In theory there is just enough space to install a three-metre path, but in practice there would be no natural drainage.

“This is not a developer tying to hoodwink or short-change the scheme – it is the reality of the available land.”

But resident Alison Clark hit out at the developer.

“The terms of the condition were not complicated," she said.

“Had the developer done their homework before buying this site there would have discovered only 1.9 metres is available."

She said the developer could have bought one of the properties, rather than just it’s driveway and garage.

“But that would have reduced their profit margin,” she said.

Planning councillors unanimously decided to reject the application to remove the cycle path condition, and deferred a decision over the detailed plans for the entire estate as they also did not include a cycle path.

Concerns were also raised about the removal of trees, splays on to an access road and clustering of affordable housing on the site.

The developer warned councillors it could look to appeal against the decision if the plans were rejected.