Bradfield Parish Council Objection to Planning Application 23/00525/FUL, Land to the East of Straight Road, Bradfield

Thursday 4th May 2023

Land to the East of Straight Road, Bradfield, Manningtree Essex, Planning Application Reference - 23/00525/FUL, Retrospective Planning Application, To create 4 plots for residential use by Gypsy and Traveller Family with associated works including new access, erection of fencing, installation of cesspit, soft landscaping, dayroom and hard standings.

It is the view of Bradfield Parish Council that this Retrospective Planning Application is a cynical and manipulative application in order to create a fait accompli. Over a bank holiday weekend an incursion onto this land was completed. Including the removal of hedgerows, the erection of gates and fences, the creation of areas of hardstanding and the establishment of six large mobile homes.

We are told by neighbours that they have witnessed at least 20 large lorries offloading aggregate material to the site.

Only after this considerable construction, has this application been submitted. In effect, much of what is contained in the application has already been established, without any planning consent. The applicants continue to consolidate their occupation even before the period of public consultation has been concluded.

It is the view of the Parish Council that this amounts to a total disregard of the planning processes and a bullying attitude to the local community.

Bradfield Parish Council wishes to formally register their objection to this application for the planning reasons stated below:

This proposed development is outside the parish development area (the village envelope). The site was an area of natural woodland, until recently decimated by a previous applicant. However, the site still provides a natural Green Gap at the village edge.

Bradfield currently has three approved building sites in progress, providing a small number of dwellings within the Bradfield Development Area. These sites are commensurate with the size of the parish.

There is no identified local need for additional dwellings, of any description.

A very recent planning application (22/00239/OUT) to build three dwellings on this exact site was refused by Tendring District Council on the 26th May 2022.

That previous applicant then registered an appeal against that refusal decision (Reference - APP/P1560/W/22/3301013). The appeal was considered and was refused by the Planning Inspector Terrence Kemmann-Lane JP DipTP FRTPI MCMI on the 2nd February 2023.
The appeal decision and narrative clearly does not support development on this land. That decision was made less than three months before this retrospective application was submitted.

The Parish Council understands that this is an application for residential use by Gypsy and Traveller Families. However, the Tendring District Local Plan (Policy LP9) clearly states that there is no current or future need for any new plots of land to be allocated for this purpose, in the Tendring District.

Any future designation of new land for this purpose will be accommodated in the Garden Community, which is a part of the Planning Inspector Approved Joint Local Plan for Tendring District and Colchester City. Provision for Gypsy and Traveller Families within the Garden Community will meet all sustainability standards.

There are currently four large housing developments under construction, and a further site with planning approval, all within two miles of the applicant's site. These comprise of:

• Newlands, Mistley (Cala Homes) - 76 Dwellings
• River Reach, Mistley (Hopkins Homes) - 235 Dwellings
• Lawford Green, Lawford and Mistley (Rose Builders) - 440 Dwellings
• Manningtree Park, Mistley (City & Country Developments) - 485 Dwellings
• Stour View, Mistley (Rose Builders) - 72 Dwellings

This substantial increase in dwellings just off the Bradfield Village boundary, further demonstrates that any further dwellings are not required.

Bradfield Parish is within the Tendring District. Tendring District Council has a Planning Inspector approved and adopted Local Plan. In the plan Tendring District has a requirement to demonstrate a Housing Supply Calculation of 5 years. District Council Planning Officers have re-run the Housing Supply Calculation on the 1st April 2022. The calculations within the SHLAA (chapter 6) gave a deliverable housing supply position of 6.89 years.

The Objectively Assessed Housing Need (OAN) as set out in Section 1 of the Tendring District Local Plan (2013-2033) confirms that 550 homes per year are required in the district. The below table shows the delivered completions:
Year, Dwellings Completed
2016/17, 658
2017/18, 565
2018/19, 915
2019/20, 784
2020/21, 646
2021/22, 777

We submit that this is further evidence that it cannot be justified that any housing need, of any description, is required on this site.