Dear Postbag

The Labour group have a very clear approach to housing development, it must be well planned compliant with space standards, infrastructure led with community facilities , gardens and open space and priority given to social housing, “democratically led” garden communities can provide a well planned approach to accommodate such development. The Tory Government seem to have other ideas.

We see campaigners such as John Akker fighting against additional housing in Mersea saying its “open season for speculative development”. Well if Jenrick’s proposals go through its going to get much much worse as the Tory Government housing targets for Colchester would move from 920 per year to 1612 and the build build build approach takes off with designated “growth” areas getting a green light to develop with no regard to local people or Councillors who are set to be abolished.

Readers will remember that NEGC was successful in getting housing infrastructure bids agreed with Government for £99.9m to pay for the infrastructure for the East Garden Community and £272m for West Tey and West of Braintree Garden Communities dependent on the developments going ahead. Priti Patel knows the need for dualing the A120 yet there is no cash identified in the current 5 year government investment strategy. So will this be a “growth” area Priti ? Will there be infrastructure funding? After all you are at the heart of Government so you should know ?

The people of Colchester need clarity on what the Tory policy position is , what we see is a run with the hare and hunt with the hound approach and its got to stop. We cannot have Priti Patel , Will Quince and Bernard Jenkin voting with the Government in Westminster to see Jenrick’s plans go through while they talk of over development and say they are against West Tey, development in Mersea and Middlewick . The people of Colchester deserve honesty and integrity in their elected representatives so do they welcome the white paper as Cllr Barber did or not ?

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