Private car ownership per Colchester property revealed

An exclusive investigation by the Gazette explores whether a 15-minute city deals with Colchester’s car problem.

With hopes to improve Colchester, the city centre masterplan has set out a clear vision for the city's future development.

To combat issues of congestion, the masterplan, which was recently voted in, earmarked the option of creating a low-traffic and people focussed city centre.

Part of the plan included extending the existing High Street car ban across the city centre, to include streets such as St John’s Street.

The long-term goal of the masterplan hopes to increase sustainable transport options, encouraging people to cycle or use the park and ride.

Increasing sustainable transport to the city centre was described as vital to reducing the city’s carbon emissions.

Explained - Data from the DVLA and the 2021 census, indicating the increase of private car use versus population growth. (Image: Newsquest)

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted to the DVLA has shown that the number of private cars in Colchester has risen by over 30 per cent in under twenty years, with the number of cars per household above the national average.

The FOI request revealed that on December 31, 2003, there were 69,175 privately owned cars in Colchester. This increased to 79,910 privately owned cars on the same day ten years later.

By September 30, 2022, there were a staggering 91,332 privately owned cars in Colchester, showing an increase of 32 per cent, more than a third.

Revealed - Data from the 2021 census highlighting the number of cars per household in Colchester. (Image: Newsquest)

Combining this with Census data from 2021, which revealed Colchester’s population was 192,700, this means there were 0.47 cars per person in Colchester during this period.

Census data from the same period revealed that Colchester was above the national average for the number of cars per household.

The data revealed that 41.5 per cent of Colchester residents had one car per household, versus the national average of 41.3 per cent.

29.2 per cent of Colchester households had two cars per household, versus the national average of 26.2 per cent, with 11.9 per cent of Colchester homes having three or more cars, against the national average of 9.2 per cent.

Commuting - Data from the 2021 census highlighting how the people of each Colchester ward get to work. (Image: Newsquest)

In February, 100 UK councils pledged to transform their areas into '15-minute cities', providing residents with convenient access to essential amenities within a short walk, cycle, or public transport ride.

The initiative aims to reduce car dependency, by establishing educational facilities, primary healthcare centers, and a range of shopping and leisure options in each neighborhood.

Oxford is one of the pilot councils implementing the scheme, requiring residents to obtain permits for driving through different areas, with penalties for exceeding annual quotas.

Southend Council has already incorporated the concept into its local plan, looking to create eight 15-minute neighborhoods in towns like Leigh and Westcliff.

Colchester city councilor and member of the environment and sustainability panel, Mark Goacher, observed that the idea of a 15-minute city shouldn’t be entirely ruled out, when looking at ways to reduce congestion around the city.

He said: “As far as I know there are no plans to make the whole of Colchester a 15-minute city.

“I wouldn’t say it's something that could be ruled out, when dealing with climate change, everything should be discussed.

“There had been some mention of 15-minute cities in the meeting, but it was not discussed as an overall proposition, there was some very brief discussion of it.”

Some residents didn’t appreciate the idea of a 15-minute city, or the looming car ban being implemented into Colchester.

Earlier this year, members of the ‘concerned citizens’ group, who were also involved with the A12 go slow protests, called the idea ‘government propaganda’, storming an Environment and Sustainability meeting to share their views with Colchester City Council.

This short video featuring content filmed by the Gazette and content filmed by the concerned citizens, taken during their meeting interruption, highlights the contrast between the two discourses.

Speaking to the Gazette, a member of the concerned citizens said: “Climate change is not real. We are still in a mini ice age from the Tudor era.

"The idea of this car ban or a 15-minute city is a way for the government to control our car use, taking our freedom away from us.

“It is government propaganda, made just to control people. There is no climate change.”

Co-leader of the Green Party, Adrian Ramsay, promoted the idea of a 15-minute city, when speaking to the Gazette during his visit to the city last month.