Plans for 5,000 homes 'would decimate villages'

2 days ago

Jodie Halfordin Kelvedon

Samantha Selby said the potential 5,000 home development at Kings Dene was "horrific-

John Fairhall/BBC A woman with long, blonde, curly hair smiles at the camera. She is wearing a dark top with a pink collar. Behind her is a green field. — Samantha Selby said the potential 5,000 home development at Kings Dene was "horrific-

Campaigners opposing plans for thousands of new homes in two Essex villages say the area would be "decimated" if the proposals became a reality.

More than 5,000 homes are included in draft local plans for Kelvedon and Feering being drawn up by Braintree District Council.

"The idea of this number of houses being dumped into this small part of Essex is horrific," said Samantha Selby from campaign group Kelvedon Against Urban Sprawl (KAUS).

Braintree District Council said it was consulting the public about the proposals and would "take all of [the comments] into consideration before we take the plan further forward".

The local plan will serve as a blueprint for Braintree, mapping out where homes should be built over the next 15 years.

Selby said her group was planning a walk around the area on Sunday "to demonstrate the beautiful nature and the beautiful countryside that will be decimated by this development".

"When people realise what will be lost, then I hope they'll really understand why this is so important and why we are continuing to campaign against it."

Several hundred homes have already been built in the villages of Kelvedon and Feering, but thousands more form part of Braintree's local plan

Kelvedon Against Urban Sprawl A map shows large coloured sections of planned sites for new housing around the Essex villages of Kelvedon and Feering. — Several hundred homes have already been built in the villages of Kelvedon and Feering, but thousands more form part of Braintree's local plan

Selby said Kelvedon and Feering had taken their fair share of new homes already, having had several developments with hundreds of properties in recent years.

"We know in this day and age that everywhere has to have some house building, that people need to have houses, but as a community we've done our bit," she said.

A campaign group in Kelvedon and Feering says there is not the infrastructure or road network to support new homes

John Fairhall/BBC A large yellow sign says No To Kings Dene 5000 Houses in black print. The sign is pinned to a fence post. — A campaign group in Kelvedon and Feering says there is not the infrastructure or road network to support new homes

Gabrielle Spray, cabinet member for planning at Braintree District Council, said the authority needed to submit its local plan to the Planning Inspectorate by the end of December and was "working very hard on meeting that deadline".

"The infrastructure is really important and I do absolutely understand people's concerns," she told BBC Essex's Ian Puckey.

"It's absolutely our aim to produce sites that are viable, sustainable, and have all the day-to-day needs that residents are going to want."

A spokesperson for Parker Strategic Land, which is working on plans for Kings Dene, said the site would include a new junction with the A12, new access to Kelvedon station, new safe crossings of the railway, and options for new links to the A120.

"There will be new schools, retail and healthcare facilities, alongside 5,000 much-needed new homes and opportunities for new jobs to help meet the needs of Braintree's Local Plan well into the 2040s," the firm added.