Colchester City Council Preferred Options Local Plan Regulation 18 Consultation 2025

Kelvedon Parish Council strongly object to the inclusion of policy PP19 Land north of Oak Road Tiptree due to the excessive number of incremental vehicle movements that this will generate through Kelvedon to access the A12 southbound and the train station junction, notwithstanding the return traffic). This development will be in addition to those sites already allocated through the recently adopted Tiptree Neighbourhood Plan and those speculative applications that have gained planning approval. Existing highways infrastructure is struggling to support current activity levels and further stress without suitable mitigation raises significant safety concerns as the High Street and Feering Hill are not designed for this throughput.
The Inworth Road leading to Gore Pit Junction/Blue Anchor Feering is heavily congested in the morning and evening rush hours, extending as far back as the Kelvedon Road for Messing. The traffic then queues through Feering and Kelvedon to access the train station or the A12 southbound. This impacts on the Conservation Areas of the historic villages of Kelvedon and Feering as well as the physical fabric of over 100 Listed buildings along the length of the High Street, Feering Hill and Inworth Road. The withdrawal of funding for the upgrading of the A12 would have removed and reduced this congestion with the provision of a new junction 24. Without this provision the allocation of this proposed site PP19 Land North of Oak Road will significantly add to this current issue impacting on the daily lives of residents in Kelvedon and Feering leading to significant harm (traffic congestion and air quality). In addition, there are insufficient and infrequent bus services between the two villages which do not complement the full extent of train timetable either. The site is therefore not sustainable and should be removed from the emerging Local Plan.