LAND to the west of Marks Tey has been earmarked as the site of a major new settlement in Essex.

The long-awaited dualling of the A120 could come with any development, initially mooted as containing between 6,000 and 10,000 homes, built by the Marks Tey Consortium.

Planning consultant Andy Stevens today said the group has access to some of the land where the new A120 could go and may help fund it.

"There is the possibility that the road could happen or happen sooner specifically as a result of the new development," he said.

Although the consortium was not successful in its bid to create a Government approved eco-town, such as the one set to be built near the M11 in Elsenham, the latest eco-friendly schemes would be considered if and when the settlement is built.

The town will be designed to encourage as little car use as possible, with shops and jobs in the town and regular buses ferrying people to the Tollgate shopping centre and into Colchester.

The Gazette revealed earlier this year a separate plan by Andrew Martin Associates for a blueprint to build 10,000 new homes on land around Marks Tey and Stanway.

The houses, which would be built in stages, would sit alongside employment, schools, community facilities, leisure and open spaces.