Replacement dwellings in the country side.- being forced from our homes which we have spent time and money on.

-Unclear what governs size of existing plot - does this include full home foot print along with land.
-Will the new home be part of the new estate or new location within the local country side, with same surrounding space.
-Will new homes be of the same layout and same construction.
-Why hasn’t price of property + 10% , solicitors and all moving fees been offered.

Fully integrate TA

Tis policy needs to be upgrade in line with recent government announcements

Comments as follows:
1. Positive to see the Roman River Corridor inclusion, and to see the high value Colne Valley landscapes recognised in the Landscape Character Assessment.
2. Positive to see mobility hubs and increased attempts at providing for sustainable transport.
3. Concern that the Brownfield Land Register remains very limited and focuses almost entirely on the urban area of Colchester. More should be done to proactively identify brownfield sites across the entire city boundary.
4. Concern that affordable housing delivery has only been 16% per annum on average for the past eight years and that the viability appraisals that accompany this plan must be rigrously tested to ensure that they are robust.
5. Concern that the strategy for Eight Ash Green results in car-dependent ribbon development along the 1124. Site PP32 should not be allocated. It represents unacceptable encroachment into the countryside.
6. Further concern that PP32 conflicts with the previous and latest Colchester Landscape Character Assesssments which seek to protect the Colne Valley. The site will be highly visible from Fordham and Chappel and cannot be screened. See attached by way of example. PP32 should not be allocated.
7. Allocation of Marks Tey North. All housing should be concentrated to the south of the site, in a high density development. Much of the Roman River must be kept inaccessible from residents and their dogs to ensure nature can flourish in the Nature Recovery area. The development must be safely connected to Marks Tey station by pedestrian and bike paths that do not use the polluted A120.
8. There should be minimum density requirements for all sites, not just urban ones.
9. The policy wording for conversions should change from 'only supported' to 'strongly supported.
10. There would be a policy to strongly support the bringing back of empty homes into use. An additional SA Monitoring indicator is required for number of homes brought back into use.

PC5 is more restrictive than its equivalent in other Councils including Braintree.. Specific relaxations might include
* For residential alterations - delete all but a and d.
* For residential annexes - delete all but d.

Many houses in my ward have unused annexes which could significantly contribute to housing supply. The windfall allowance of 2200 over the plan period is half the pre-covid windfall delivery rate of 294 per annum and could justifiably be doubled or (with de-regulation) tripled.

PC5 should include policy wording to make it clear the Council will resist the use of Class Q (Conversion of farm buildings) as a means of securing inappropriate development in the countryside in the form of replacement and rebuilding on the basis the Class Q PD creates a precedent for residential development.

PC5 should include policy wording to discourage the use of Class Q, conversion of farm buildings, as a means of securing inappropriate development in the countryside on the basis the Class Q PD creates a precedent for replacing with new development contrary to policies protecting the countryside.

West Bergholt Parish Council supports this policy.

The design of replacement rural dwellings should be sympathetic to their location.