New concept images show plans for new town near Colchester

Images have been released of the development just outside the city, which would have thousands of student accommodation rooms, a large hotel, and schools.

Latimer, the development arm of Clarion Housing Group, is drawing up the initial proposals for the huge development on land east of Colchester between the A120 and B1028.

The land lies in the Colchester and Tendring Council areas, and the plans have been in the pipeline for nearly a decade.

Now, images released by Clarion Housing show the scale of the development as well as how some of the new homes could look.

Plans - an aerial view designs of the proposals (Image: Clarion Housing)

The huge plans also include a new link road between the A133 and A120 on the outskirts of Colchester as well as a rapid transport system to the east of Colchester. 

Initially, the new infrastructure was priced at £99million from the Government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund, which had been made available to enable the development of the new garden town on the Tendring and Colchester borders.

A senior councillor has thrown his support behind the proposals.

Dan Casey, chairman of Tendring Council, said: “I think it’s a fantastic project and I hope it carries on as it has been going, I think it’s a very good idea for the future. I welcome it and have looked at it quite a bit and as far as I am concerned it will benefit everyone.

“A lot of different towns and organisations are working on this and it’s a very ambitious project.

“It seems like it’s going in the right direction but like everything else, it’s a matter of the money side of it. I hope it’s going to come through and I am feeling positive about it.

“I think it will benefit all the different areas involved and I think it’s a positive thing that the different areas are all working together for one aim, which is about providing better living places for everyone in the whole wider area.

"I think all of us think it’s a fantastic project and there’s a lot of work to do on it.”

Proposals - CGI designs of the new town (Image: Clarion Housing)

A scoping opinion application – asking what information would need to be included in a planning application – has been submitted to Colchester and Tendring councils for a mixed-use development between Colchester, Ardleigh, Wivenhoe, and Elmstead Market.

Once the scoping opinion has been completed initial and outline plans may be submitted to the councils for consideration.

If agreed, plans are also set to include a college, sports facilities, up to 18 Gypsy and Traveller pitches, and provision for a care home and or residential institution. Buildings across the huge development are set to be two and three-storeys, with some six-storey buildings.