12 JAN 2025 09/01/2026

Mersea Town Council.

Having contacted Colchester City Council and West Mersea Town Council | have decided that the only way that I can register my objections to the proposed building of a further 300 houses on the Island is to put this in writing to Mersea Town Council who have been very helpful and have assured me that they will forward my comments to Colchester City Council.

INFRASTRUCTURE. The current infrastructure is at its maximum capacity.

SCHOOLS, At maximum capacity.

SEWAGE. At maximum capacity.

WATER. Should remain near maximum to offset reduced water pressure in summer.

DOCTORS. At maximum capacity taking no more patients

ROADS. Operating at high capacity and disrupted /delayed by tidal conditions this also affects emergency vehicles. Extra traffic from 300 properties will overload the roads on the Island at all times Planning authorities state that there will be no problems with the access in and out of the development however the fact remains that there is only one road on and off the Island and heavy haulage vehicles associated with further development will cause further damage to the roads that were not built for heavy HGVs and make it dangerous for car and van drivers.

GREEN SPACE. I believe the current balance of people and cars on the island preserves its character and allows residents and visitors from Colchester and nearby areas to enjoy this green space.

TRANSPORT. Bearing in mind that the Council are trying to get people to use public transport the bus service has recently been reduced and infrequent, it does not include the Dawes Road area and is disrupted by tidal conditions.

CAR PARKING inadequate. The current car parks are at maximum capacity, and the recent restrictions in the Legion car park has led to cars parking in dangerous positions on the main road, High street parking is not possible.

Thank you for your help and assistance.

REDACTED NAME AND ADDRESS

Whilst we remain mindful of the Council's desire to have a Plan in place we recognise the contribution towards sustainable development objectives that having a Plan in place would make, not least by increasing the supply of housing and employment opportunities which are important Government objectives. However, the growth must be planned and delivered sustainably. An esential part of that consideration involves ensuring that the necessary infrastructure will be in place to support that growth.
A considerable proportion of the Plan's allocated sites, including Marks Tey, North Colchester and Langham, do not have a realistic or reasonable chance of being delivered during the plan period which consequently also puts into question the overall spatial strategy of the Plan.

Colchester's Housing Need is identified in Policy ST5 and states the Council will plan, monitor, and manage the delivery of at least 20,800 new homes in Colchester City between 2025 and 2041. The annual housing requirement for Colchester is 1,300, as identified by the Standard Methodology.

The Council's aim will be to maintain a sufficient supply of deliverable and developable sites to provide for at least five years' worth of housing on a rolling basis, plus an appropriate buffer in accordance with national policy. The overall distribution of new housing across Colchester is guided by Spatial Strategy (Policy ST3).

West Mersea is a coastal town located on the confluence of the Colne and Blackwater Estuaries, approximately 15km from Colchester city centre. In terms of settlement hierarchy West Mersea falls within the category of 'large settlement'. Colchester's large settlements have the most facilities, services, travel choices and opportunities. These settlements also have some of the largest populations of Colchester. However, in the case of West Mersea, this settlement has environmental constraints and accordingly the level of growth must be balanced and appropriate with these constraints.

I strongly object to the proposed 300 house development in Dawes Lane, West Mersea, the current new developments are already causing problems..
1. No change to infrastrucure is included with the plan, Dawes Lane, East Road, Strood, B1025.
2. Inadequate health provision currently, what provision for educational needs?
3. Waste water, water supply & water quality already at stretching point.
4. Environmental considerations, landscape, uniqueness of the Island is being lost. Where is the Environmental Impact Assessment?
5. Loss of further valuable agricultural land.
6. CCC should be focussing on 'Brownfield' sites with affordable housing for LOCAL people

I object to the preferred option sites in West Mersea and even more so in East Mersea as these are developments on farm land in what is already an over-crowded Island. I further object to the proposed development for the following reasons
1) Mersea does not have the infrastructure e.g. sewage , schools and doctors surgery to support this increase in population. Mersea already has a population of nearly 50% more than 65 years old and no doubt new houses will attract more pensioners putting more strain on the doctors surgery which is already refusing to take in new patients.
2) Mersea is an island with few local job opportunities at all. Working age residents of any new houses are therefore likely to work off the island. Traffic on and off the island is already a big problem with the Strood being covered by high tides which can mean an up to 3 hour wait in a traffic jam for 3 - 5 days in a fortnight and big problems for emergency services accessing the island especially when vehicles regularly breakdown in the deep water in the middle of the Strood . This is exacerbated by the lack of a good bus service so residents mainly use cars for transport.
3) The Plan and consultations does not seem to take account of the residency on the caravan sites on the island. When considered this greatly increases the number of residents on the island many of whom are either pensioners or travel off the island for work every day. In theory people are not supposed to reside on the caravans but the reality is that they do all year round and in large numbers and travel to work off the island. The number of these residents should be taken into consideration when assessing whether the infrastruture can support additional houses on Mersea, particularly in East Mersea where the concentration of caravan sites is.
4) There is a lack of transparency about the preferred option sites. A number of these sites appear to be owned by City Councillors or their relatives or by companies controlled or associated with them but there is no such disclosure on the Local Plan. Surely this conflict in interest should be declared on the Plan as it is the City Councillors who will eventually approve the Plan
5) The plan does not appear to be complete. I understand that there is currently a proposal to build further houses on farm land in East Mersea which are not on this plan at all. I futher understand that this possibly involves the creation of a new village in East Mersea but I can see nothing in the Local Plan about this.

I strongly object to any further development on Mersea Island. What with the Seaview development and now Dawes Lane, the character of the island has been significantly eroded and it is rapidly becoming a less desirable place to live. The increase in traffic is significant. There is no infrastructure to support the increased population. Access on and off the island has become almost impossible with endless broken down vehicles that attempt to cross causing horrendous queues. Its becoming increasingly difficult to actually 'function' on a daily basis as its impossible to get anywhere! Incredibly sad..

The uniqueness of Mersea Island
Mersea is the most easterly inhabited island in the UK. It is approached by a tidal causeway, cutting it off from the land on high tides over 5m depth, which typically occur every other week.
It also has one of the highest proportions of people aged 65+ in the UK, at around 50% of the population (Mersea and Pyefleet ward – including the mainland villages is 38% - twice the UK average).
East Mersea is approached by a single access road and has no services and very limited access to public transport. As such would NOT be appropriate to reallocate to East Mersea proposed housing from other villages which have large housebuilding allocations in the local plan.
GP provision
Since July 2024 new residents on Mersea have been unable to register with a local GP as the only GP practice on the island closed its books to new patients, citing safety concerns resulting from the increase in population of the island due to recent housing developments. As Colchester City Councillors for Mersea and Pyefleet we met with the leadership of NHS North Essex and Suffolk Integrated Care Board in November 2025 to discuss this situation. The ICB told us that at that date there were around 230 Mersea residents who had been unable to register with a GP on Mersea – some of whom have been forced to register with GP practices considerable distances away. This is a particular problem as Mersea Island has one of the highest proportions of people aged 65+ in the UK – at around 50% of the population (Mersea and Pyefleet ward – including the mainland villages is 38% - twice the UK average), many of whom have had to surrender their driving licences due to age. The ICB indicated to us that BEFORE GP registration at the Mersea practice is re-opened to new patents – it will be necessary to offer those Mersea residents who have been forced to register at distant GP practices the opportunity to re-register at the Mersea practice,
The Head of Planning and the Infrastructure Manager have kindly agreed to my proposal that a restriction should be placed on the development of this site such that it can only be developed after the situation with lack of GP access is resolved. The following text has subsequently been added to the Infrastructure Topic paper published in November 2025 with respect to this site:
“Reconfiguration of West Mersea Clinic or alternative provision, to provide additional capacity to demonstrate that residents of the new development are able to access registration with a GP surgery in the local area.”
Housing
Failure to establish who is buying local houses
Evidence presented to the local plan committee indicated that although a market research company had been commissioned to contact estate agents to determine how many local properties were being sold to people from outside the local area, they had not received any responses from estate agents on Mersea.
As such, in summer 2025 I visited each of the three estates agents on Mersea Island and asked them. The responses were that although the situation varies year by year – around 70% of houses on Mersea are sold to people moving into the area, particularly from the Brentwood-Romford Essex/London border area. The majority of these were people looking to retire to Mersea.
As such, it is likely that more than two thirds of new houses built on Mersea will NOT meet local housing need, but instead in effect offset housing need in other areas such as London.
Use of inappropriate method to calculate housing need on Mersea Island
The evidence on which the local plan site allocations is based seriously misrepresents actual housing need on Mersea.
The local plan evidence base presented at the Local Plan Committee meeting December 2024 section 6.13 Table 6.4 which is used to assess the need for housing, particularly affordable housing shows that Mersea has a median income of £53,800 which is LESS than the average for the Colchester City Council areas as a whole – and less than the £63,000 income which table 6.5 states is necessary to buy a house on Mersea. However, these median income figures entirely fail to take account of the fact that around half of the population of Mersea are aged 65+ and as such their income reflects the fact that they are pensioners – with VERY FEW of them looking to become first time buyers, in fact, a great many of them already own their own homes. As such, median income is a wholly inappropriate measure to assess housing need on Mersea.
I raised this at the local plan committee meeting on 16 December 2024 and was told by one of the senior planning officers that they couldn’t comment as they weren’t experts on how these figures were calculated. This is recorded on page 7 of the minutes of that meeting.
However, it is perfectly clear that with an elderly population, and as a retirement location where a high proportion of houses are sold to people moving onto Mersea Island from outside the area to retire – that using median income to assess housing affordability and therefore housing need is NOT appropriate and likely to seriously overestimate the number of houses needed.
Mersea Island DOES have a need for affordable housing, particularly shared ownership – which could enable local young people who have grown up on the island to get on the housing ladder. But the number of people in this category needs to properly assessed – and the appropriate type of housing and tenue built.

Environmental considerations
The unique importance of marine islands for rare species
There is a large range of academic studies on the importance of marine islands as unique habitats, particularly for rare species. Locally, 268 species of birds have been sighted on Mersea including a significant number which are “red rated” i.e. nationally important rare species. There are also other nationally important rare species such as Fishers estuarine moth and Hog’s Fennel as well as one of England’s few colonies of red squirrels – which was introduced specifically because of the island habitat and are also a “red rated” endangered species. Mersea Island and the Isle of Wight are virtually the ONLY locations in southern England that they are found. Significantly, their habitat is not confined to a particular site – but is island wide.
Island size is one of the factors which impacts the number of species an island provides a habitat to. As such, the percentage of an island which is urbanised is likely to negatively impact the number of species it provides a habitat to. Again, there is a vast scientific literature on island biogeography.
However, current planning policy ONLY looks at the ecological impact on the specific sites proposed for development.
I have therefore proposed to senior planning officers, both at the local plan committee meetings and in subsequent written communications that the council should adopt a specific planning policy on islands – setting out the maximum percentage of an island which should be developed.
This is particularly important in our areas as North East Essex has more islands than any other part of England.
I would suggest that for Mersea Island this should be no more than 18-20% of the island. It is important that the council thinks seriously about this now – otherwise it risks facing situation where with each new local plan, a higher and higher percentage of the island ends up being developed, which cumulatively would have a potentially devasting impact on the range of habitats available.
Proposed UNESCO world heritage site
The Blackwater and Colne estuaries, including Mersea Island were two years ago nominated by the UK government to become a UNESCO World Heritage environmental site (The “East Coast Flyway”) and are currently being assessed in this respect by UNESCO. However, the draft local plan makes NO REFERECE TO THIS AT ALL.
East Coast Flyway | World Heritage UK
East Atlantic Flyway: England East Coast Wetlands - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Microsoft PowerPoint - East Coast Flyway Feb 2024.pptx
As noted above, 268 bird species have been found on Mersea Island, with a significant number of these being “red rated” i.e. nationally important rare species. As such Mersea Island is likely to be of particular importance in the potential East Coast Flyway UNESCO heritage site.
Climate change
The immediate risks from climate change currently facing Essex are a) sea level rise b) associated significant increases in coastal erosion rates c) increasing incidents of wildfires – which are already happening across Essex.
Climate change – sea level rise
The UK government’s Foresight report on current and future impacts of sea level rise on the UK (2017) stated that
“Sea level rise increases coastal flooding and erosion, creating risks for UK infrastructure, communities, businesses and natural capital. Coastal flooding is one of the top four priority risks for the UK Government…”
UK sea levels are currently rising at around 3mm a year, while in North Essex the land is also sinking due to isostatic readjustment by around 0.8mm a year creating an annual rise in mean sea level of 3.8mm a year.
The mid – range projections from the UK’s climate change committee are that in the next 25 years UK se levels will rise by a further 25-35cm. This will mean that a) the Strood causeway will be flooded cutting off Mersea from the mainland on twice as many days per month as it currently is b) sea walls – most of which are clay banks will be overtopped by surge tides significantly more frequently than at present, creating significant flooding c) The rate of coastal erosion is projected to increase by up to 700% across the UK. However, Mersea’s geology of sandy material sitting on top of an underlying clay bed only a few cm above the height of most tides makes it particularly vulnerable.
Most sea walls were built following the 1953 floods in which significantly more lives were lost in Essex than anywhere else in the UK. UK sea level is now around 20cm higher than it was in the 1953 floods, with relative sea level in North East Essex around 25cm higher. As such there is an urgent need to raise the height of sea walls, although there is currently no plan to do so on Mersea.
Research published by the University of East Anglia in 2022 and reported by the BBC showed that the council areas along the Blackwater estuary – were among those most at risk from sea level rise.
None of these factors have been considered in the draft local plan. Clearly they should have been.
Climate change – wildfire risk
Essex is particularly vulnerable to wildfires due to having the lowest average rainfall in the UK. The London Fire and Rescue service report into the destruction of a whole street in the village of Wennington on the Essex/London border included a specific warning that such events will occur again “"We know last summer was not a one-off - climate change will continue to give rise to more extreme weather events.”
Villages where there is only a single access road in/out are particularly vulnerable – as if the fire jumps the road, as wildfire frequently do, there is no means of evacuating the section of the village which has been cut off EXCEPT across the fields. This would put the elderly and disabled at particular risk.
This applies to the whole of Mersea Island.
The Fire Service are already aware of the existing vulnerability of fire on Mersea created by it being a tidal island, and station an additional fire engine on the island whenever it is cut off by the tide. However, both the single access/exit road for a large population – currently 7,000 people and the fact that this road is cut off by the tide for up to 2+ hours at a time creates additional risks.
When I asked at the local plan committee meeting in February 2025 how long it was estimated it would take to evacuate Mersea Island if that was needed, whether because of a wildfire or a nuclear incident at Bradwell – the answer I received from a senior planning officer was that she had no idea at all. Clearly, the council should have an idea – and should risk assess the impact of increasing Mersea’s population by 300 houses – which with average occupancy of 2.3 would represent a 10% increase in the Island’s population.
Bradwell nuclear facility
When Bradwell nuclear power station was built a specific evacuation plan was developed for Mersea Island in the event of a nuclear incident there. This included lights pointing to the direction of the Strood appearing on street-lights.
Since that date the population of Mersea has doubled. Whilst Bradwell nuclear power station has closed, the government are actively engaged in a process of selecting new sites for nuclear power stations, with the 8 existing nuclear sites such as Bradwell being preferred sites for new nuclear power stations

The requirement in criterion f) to seek contributions towards the enhancement of the quality and value of the Glebe Sports Ground is welcomed as enhancements to the capacity of this facility would be appropriate for meeting the additional needs generated by the development. This approach would be justified by the Council’s sports evidence base, Policy CS4: Sports Provision and Government policy in the NPPF especially paragraph 103.

300 more properties will provide 600+ more adults and potentially 300+ children.
1. Our unique island location and tidal flooding of the road impacting access on and off. Long traffic queues at high tide can be and are back up to Langenhoe which is 5 miles, or Peldon which is 1 mile..
2. Environmental concerns affecting the Blackwater estuary include waste water treatment issues and failures to carry out legally required environmental impact assessments, both of which affect shellfish and bathing waters. Anglian Water oppose further development until info structure in place for both fresh water supply and sewage disposal. Local sewage facility totally inadequate.
3. Commitment to increase capacity of the medical facilities still not achieved and the list for new patients closed, this came into effect July 2024. existing Pharmacies already over stretched. 1 Pharmacy recently closed.
4. Limited public transport which is regularly affected by flooding on the Strood. Hourly bus from Mersea generally good but regularly cancelled bus service back from Colchester. No busses running during high tides.
5. Further impact on our already strained utility infrastructure. Resident population in excess of 7800, with tourists over 14000.
6. Totally insufficient vehicle parking facilities especially during Tourist season between April and September. Road side parking causes restrictive residential issues.
7. local supermarket and general shop parking totally dire during key months which can and does impact business opportunities.
8. Local junior school is already at full capacity and will require financial investment to expand. This will also be a requirement for the relevant schools in Colchester which will also be severely impacted by other significant developments around Colchester..
9. Local Dental practice only accepting non NHS patients.
10. Some current developers are not adhering to the already granted planning permission with regard to the necessary info structure, and are totally flouting that permission, and getting away with it.
11. 300 is the current plan but when the developers get hold of the land, the permission, and get spades into the soil they will be submitting applications to expand the number of properties being built. Together with a request to change the originally granted plan.
12. No regular Policing activities carried out or immediately available on Mersea. High tides prevent Police attendance
13. Required ambulances have to travel from Colchester, and are not immediately available. High tides prevent ambulance attendance.
14. No assessment carried out with regard to energy supply supporting new potential demands.
15. The available and required care facilities are already at breaking point, this planned development will bring a number of persons requiring the service and support of such facilities taking these facilities over breaking point.
16. Hospital facilities in Colchester are already severely impacted by the current local Colchester population in excess of 200,000. What assessment has been carried out to establish how this facility will manage and cope with the dramatic increase in population generated by the significant proposed developments around Colchester, also impacting Mersea.
17. We are an Island recognised for it's history, it's dedication and respect for its nature, wide open spaces, woodlands, and it's community care. We have nearly 50% of our current population who are aged 65 and over, they number nearly 3600, the majority of whom have been born, raised and live on our precious Island. Incoming populations don't have the respect that our Island deserves.
18. Our Island does not have the job structure in place to support new residents so the vast majority will need to have travel arrangements in place to gain access to work.
19. What assessments has been undertaken to establish what the impact will be to our general quality of air, climate change, erosion, waste disposal facilities, etc etc. on our Island

Re. Mersea Island (Reg.18 Preferred Options Local Plan 2025.

The current 'que' to get HOME to Mersea Island when the tide is over 5 meters (one third of the year!) is currently 4 MILES for up to 2 HOURS!
This is with the current homeowners who drive home. This queue stretches to the village of Langenhoe in which there is an important crossroads cutting through from Old Heath to Layer. The addition of just 50 cars, going 'home' to Mersea at high tide (bearing in mind the average household now has a mininum of 2 vehicles) will stretch the queue an additional 250 metres (average car length) through, and therefore BLOCKING, that crossroad. Please consider this knock on effect of the additional cars on the road going to Mersea and how problematic this will be.

1)Sewage: there is no treatment plant on the island all sewage has to be transported by 'non environmentally friendly' heavy goods vehicles off the island daily for treatment elsewhere.
2)Mersea Doctors Surgery: closed to new patients.
3)Island access via a narrow two lane tidal causeway at times the island is cut off for several hours to vehicles including all emergency services.
4)No emergency medical facilities on the island, Hospital is is 10 miles away tidal road.
5)Mersea School has limited capacity, Bus transport has to be used for Senior pupils to attend schools over 10 miles away twice a day.

Tidal Flooding which has increased over the years
Still no increase in medical facility
Poor Infrastructure and lack of safe cycling both on Island and connecting to colchester non existent and no safe pedestrian route in from Mersea to Colchester
little concern for local people's housing
One road in and out - with villages further up road between Mersea and Colchester also undergoing development (Abberton, Langenhoe etc.) Little thought has been given to what this means for increased traffic loads stacking up all along the main road to Colchester
Massive increase in traffic in/out of Mersea over past 10 years

• Our unique island location and tidal flooding of the road impacting access on and off.
• Environmental concerns affecting the Blackwater estuary include waste water treatment issues and failures to carry out legally required environmental impact assessments.
• Commitment to increase capacity of the medical facilities still not achieved and the list for new patients closed.
• Limited public transport which is regularly affected by flooding on the Strood.
• Further impact on our already strained utility infrastructure, particularly fresh water of sufficient pressure.
* Provide affordable starter homes for children of local residents.

Mersea Island is at capacity. summing up; Dawes Lane would need major Road and junction improvements on safety grounds for cars cyclists and pedestrians. The medical and dental practices are already at capacity. Mersea is a tidal island, frequently cut off for several hours twice a day ; this will increase with Rising sea levels and climate change. Emergency services have to rely on helicopters and life boat when the tide is up. Secondary school children are dumped off the bus on the mainland in all weathers when the tide is up.

1. Dawes Lane is narrow. Vehicles often pull over to pass. Deep roadside ruts have developed; road edges are damaged. Only a short section is pavemented. Junction with East Mersea Road; difficult vision up and down EMR. If 300 extra houses; Dawes Lane format, dimensions, pedestrian access and condition need review.
2. Junction of East Mersea Road and The Strood; often delays. If 300 extra homes, a roundabout here should be considered.
3. Public bridleway from Smiths Hall westward; frequently ploughed up impassably, as now. Consider preservation year-round for countryside leisure access.
4. Otherwise, this family supports the Local Plan.

Object to new dwellings to east of Dawes Lane, West Mersea:
1.Flooding of Strood causes significant traffic problems with existing numbers. Additional properties will create additional traffic to exacerbate existing problems.
2. Sewage treatment works frequently has to discharge raw sewage into River Blackwater on current numbers. New properties will exacerbate problem.
3. Medical practice is overwhelmed by current population and refuses new patients.
4. Limited public transport which is adversely affected by flooding on the Strood.
5. Limited infrastructure on the island (school, fire service, police cover) will be put under additional strain.

Dear Sirs,

We are writing from the Environmental Law Foundation, a legal charity that assists communities with environmental problems. We are writing on behalf of Mr Graham Farley, a resident of West Mersea on Mersea Island. He has been working with ELF for over 10 years and is part of the Mersea Island Environmental Alliance (MIEA) and the West Mersea Town Council (WMTC) Local Plan working group. He has been fighting to protect the environment and unique ecology of the island.

Please refer to the attached file for our full objection to this draft, based on concerns around Policy PP23.

Re Policy PP23 - allocate 300 dwellings to the east of Dawes Lane, West Mersea.
My concerns are:
• Mersea Island's unique location and very frequent tidal flooding of the road, directly impacting access on and off the island.
• Major environmental concerns affecting the Blackwater Estuary; waste water treatment issues and significant failures to carry-out legally required environmental impact assessments, which adversely impact fish and shellfish, and popular bathing waters.
• Previous commitment to increase the capacity of on Island medical facilities NOT achieved. Consequently, the list for new patients has been closed for some time.
• Limited public transport to and from the island, which is regularly disrupted by flooding of the Strood.
• Further impact on already strained utility infrastructure. NB: Anglian Water has stated that the Sewage Processing Plant located on Cross Lane, is operating at about 70%, and therefore has some 30% additional capacity. If that is the case, why then were there almost 30 unauthorised discharges of sewage directly into the Estuary during 2024! This untreated sewage contaminated bathing waters and fishing waters, thereby posing a SIGNIFICANT risk to human health.
There is no senior school on the island, so children have to travel to Colchester or beyond to further their education. This puts additional strain on transport and road usage, which is already heavily impacted.

I strongly object to this proposal. Mersea Island does not have the infrastructure to support 300 additional homes. This would mean over 600 extra vehicles on an island already suffering from inadequate parking, overstretched roads, and severe congestion at high tide, with queues extending beyond Abberton. Local services are at capacity: the school is full and access to GP and dental services is extremely limited. Following recent developments at Sanderling Reach and Dawes Lane, this represents unsustainable overdevelopment of a unique island whose population already swells dramatically each summer. This proposal should be refused.

1. A single road which is regularly and increasingly closed due to tidal issues, causing traffic chaos and serious concerns in an emergency.
2. The doctors surgery cannot cope and has now closed its list
3. The water supply is inadequate and causing reduced pressure.
4. The sewage/waste water system is inadequate and causing environmental concerns to the Blackwater estuary.
5. No bus service near the proposed site , which will cause increased traffic on the island and aggravate the limited parking issues in the village
6. The school cannot extend and would have difficulty in enrolling new children.

Mersea island cannot support any further building, we have no doctors, dentist, secondary schools, regular bus or any trains. Sewage is struggling, omotting directly onto oysterbeds. Water pressure is dropping significantly. Environmental and health disaster waiting to happen. In fact, what we do have is flooded roads, pot holes, coastal erosion and an array of rare birds, red squirrels insects and snakes. This island has many documentarys regarding its unique wildlife, bird migration. Mersea island is water stressed and expected to get worse due to climate change, population growth and the need to restore, protect and enhance the natural environment. Mersea is a high flood risk from the sea and rivers and only one small road off the island. In addition to this, Essex water quality is below the national average as a result of storm overflows discharging sewage into the water supply; pollution from fertilisers and traffic Do not ignore what you are destroying. The strood cuts us off from the rest of the country, we have thousands more people living in caravans most of the year who are not registered.

The preamble to this consultation misleadingly describes West Mersea as a 'coastal town.' West Mersea is in point of fact an Island, which present very specific environmental considerations and needs plus unique access limitations which must be considered reference further development in addition to the recent 200 houses development on the island.
The Island’s population is distorted significantly by seasonal traffic to the caravan parks all of which creates additional pressure upon infrastructure from doctor’s surgery (currently closed to new registrations), dental care, water supply, internet access, food supply and significant traffic access issues, making it unsuitable for further development.

The allocation of land east of Dawes Lane for residential-led development is supported. The site represents a sustainable extension to West Mersea, capable of delivering housing alongside strategic open space, biodiversity enhancements, and landscape integration. The policy aligns with wider objectives for housing delivery, environmental protection, and placemaking.

This allocation can be delivered in the following timeframe:

• 1-5 years = 100 dwellings
• 6-10 years = 200 dwellings

Targeted amendments will provide clarity to developers and stakeholders while maintaining the Council’s objectives. See attachment.

To whom it may concern

i write to express my disquiet regarding

proposal to build 300 new houses on the

East side of Dames Lane in West Mersea

The issues that appear not to have been given due regard to are:

Infrastructure the doctor's surgery has closed its books m taking new patients - this has been in place for several months .

traffic flow: There is only me road in and off . The road is often flooded by the tides leading to Long tail- backs - this will only get worse should further houses being built .

Sewage: the sewage works are already inadequate for the size of population in Mersea.
Education : the capacity of the primary school will soon be at capacity as the new house under construction receive new provision on the island families; there is also no secondary school
Summer-time the population in Mersea swells considerably during the summer months as holiday makers and day trippers come onto the island. As a result traffic movement becomes extremeley challenging and parking facilities become vastly overstretched.

emergency vehicles are seriously hampered by over-busy roads and traffic build-up
Leisure facilities become even more inadequate -eg access to the East Mesa Country Park becomes almost impossible on high days had holidays.

Thank you for your consideration and Look forward to receiving your response in due course

This site sits outside of the WMTC local plan, and further focusses development and 'urbanization' away from the village center with no shops, medical or social facilities, and necessitating further vehicular traffic into the village center, in the absence of bus routes or cycle paths.

Dawes Lane itself is totally unsuitable for further development - a single-track 'unclassified road' as defined by the absence of a center- line marking, significant additional traffic is unsustainable.

This proposal endorses the creation of what is effectively a dormitory development on the outskirts of the village - a dystopian hell of more cookie-cutter houses

I object most strongly to the amount of new housing in West Mersea, especially to the 300 projected houses in Dawes Lane. The actual road called Dawes Lane is far too narrow for the amount of housing to be built. It is already a problem as it is far too narrow, with pot holes at the sides, for the amount of traffic it already takes. This includes large lorries and dozens of vans.
As I am sure has been mentioned by others the local surgery is closed to new patients.

See attachment with detailed comments on numerous policies. Anglian Water welcomes the opportunity to contribute comments on the Draft
Local Plan for Colchester City Council. We consider that the Plan is well set out with in relation
to managing flood risk, surface water and wastewater, and enabling water efficiency. We
recognise the challenges for meeting the uplift in housing requirements and the
infrastructure required to help deliver future growth across the district, with the main
focus being Colchester and the larger towns.
We have raised some policy matters relating to consistency between policies addressing surface
water flood risk, water supply, and wastewater, and how these matters are attributed to site
allocation policies.
We look forward to continuing our positive and proactive discussions with the Council in
respect of our comments and the next iteration of the Local Plan, including supporting updates
to the evidence base if required

I am writing to express my concerns over Colchester City
Councils proposal to build 300 dwellings on the agricultural land east of Dawes Lane in West Mersea.

1 There are many people who work I travel off the Island and the road onto the ISLAND is Aquent flooded by high tides causing huge queues and sometimes endangering lives when cars become stuck in the water.

2 The sewage works are already overwhelmed -evidenced

by recent water tests of the sea pollution where the

sewage water is pumped into the estuary.

3 There is no new facility for people moving to the island to access G.P's as the Surgery has

closed it's books and is unable to take any more

patients.

4 Account of the huge increase in population and

its affects - traffic, sewage, vehicle pollution, medical needs,

parking, shopping, in the summer months, seems to have been ignored in the proposal to build 300

More houses.

5 There is limited public transport for those without

cars or wishing not to use Cars on the Island.

6 The 200+ houses already built on the west side

of Dawes Lane appear not to be selling well as people realise they will have to find surgeries off

the Island and travelling to appointments could

well be affected by flooding on the Strood during

high tides.

We do not think the infrastructure of the Island can sustain this amount of new residents. The Doctors surgery stopped taking new patients sometime ago. It is already differcult to get an appointment with them. Aslo not easy to get dentist appointment on the Island. I have have been on the cancellation list since before Christmas for treatment. Still no appointment.

Access and egress to Mersea Island is entirely dependant on one road , furthermore it is regularly cut off by high sea tides. Furthermore , this road is breaking up . Access to emergency services are also interrupted and furthermore dependant on the goodwill of volunteers . There is not the infrastructure for the present number of housing let alone more .

Accessibility and flood risk: Mersea Island’s unique island location means access is dependent on the Strood, which is subject to regular tidal flooding. This presents a significant constraint on safe and reliable access and egress, including for emergency services, and raises issues of resilience and sustainability.
Environmental constraints: There are unresolved environmental concerns affecting the Blackwater Estuary, including wastewater treatment capacity limitations and the absence of legally required Environmental Impact Assessments. These matters pose risks to designated shellfish waters and bathing waters and raise questions of compliance with environmental legislation and the Habitats Regulations.
Health infrastructure: Commitments to increase local medical capacity have not been delivered. Primary healthcare provision remains constrained, with patient lists closed to new registrations, indicating that existing services are operating beyond sustainable capacity.
Public transport: Public transport provision is limited and is regularly disrupted by flooding at the Strood, reducing accessibility and undermining the sustainability credentials of further development.
Utilities and infrastructure capacity: Existing utility infrastructure is already under pressure, and there is insufficient evidence that it can accommodate development at the scale proposed without significant and timely investment.