Planning & Development Committee – 16th September 2020

Wed 21st Oct 2020 at 7.30pm via Zoom

The main issue the Council has is with the access point:

Access to PA 181458 & sites A/B: As neighbouring residents have made representations to the council, it would reiterate its previous comments that access to the site should be moved further down towards Colchester (eastwards) even if this is only by another house-width. In fact, adding a gentle curve within the site to the junction with Colchester Road would slow cars travelling in the development.

Also, obviously all parties will be entering into section 106 agreements with these proposals in the near future. The Parish Council would make two recommendations at this stage:

1. Parking restrictions (i.e. yellow lines) will be required in front of the Poor’s Land along the B1508, Colchester Road, to stop dangerous parking accumulating there.

2. Staggered junctions would be a good idea to slow traffic passing in front of these new sites. There is an opportunity to do this as the Price’s application has not yet been decided by CBC.

The Council would reiterate, that as with Planning Application 201686, this application requires compliance with the West Bergholt Neighbourhood Plan Policy PP13 in the funding of speed reduction measures and parking restrictions on Colchester Road by the developers of the site. Further, from the WBNP project list, developer contribution to the construction of a mini roundabout and a pedestrian crossing should be required. If there had been a public consultation it is likely that residents would have raised concerns regarding the establishment of new buildings along what is a very busy road without the additional safe crossing for adults and children that the WBNP requires.

Regarding the “Potential Site Access”, the Parish Council finds this wholly unacceptable, the creation of yet another access on to the busy Colchester is to be avoided at all costs.

Please also note that the Council was disappointed at the lack of reference to the Neighbourhood Plan and in fact no reference to transport in the application’s Planning document.