Towerlands, Bocking, planning application for 575 homes

Following years of discussions over the suitability of using the former Towerlands Park for housing, a planning application has now been submitted to Braintree Council.

The centre closed in July 2012 and the land, which has been marked as a potential site for housing in the council’s draft local plan, has been empty ever since.

The Unex Group has now submitted plans to redevelop the land which covers an area which is around the same size as 43 football pitches.

The plans include a 56-place nursery school and the development will also be expected to provide a new primary school or cash towards new primary school provision.

Plans: How the development could look from above

Bocking North councillor David Mann said: “Bocking North ward is a real hot-spot for housing development in the published emerging local plan.

“Towerlands is one of the three sites that will add more than 2,000 dwellings.

“That’s a huge number to assimilate.

“In the current climate no new development is likely to be welcomed with open arms, but at least it is recognised by local residents that Towerlands is an allocated site that has been through the tortuous local plan process, and they have had the opportunity to have their say.

“Such allocated sites, provided they meet all material planning considerations, are more likely to find favour with planning committees.

“Bocking residents are less sanguine about two other things.

“Several speculative applications on unallocated sites that might add another 500 more to the 2,000 is the first.

“The second is the cumulative impact of such incremental development on the fringes of our urban area, for example, the effect of so many new houses on the safety and capacity of Panfield Lane, Bocking Church Street and the A131.”

So far 12 objections comments have been submitted by residents in response to the application, while Anglian Water has raised concerns about the risk of flooding downstream on the River Pant.

David Lock Associates, which has submitted the application on behalf of Unex, said: “Discussions with Braintree Council and other consultees and stakeholders have taken place since July 2018, including two public exhibitions in November 2018 and March 2019, formal pre-application meetings and various design workshops.

“The proposals have been discussed to inform the preparation of this outline planning application.

“It is considered that the proposals are in accordance with the draft allocation in the Braintree Council publication draft local plan 2017.”