Colchester City Council Preferred Options Local Plan Regulation 18 Consultation 2025

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.