A NEW dedicated team has been announced in a bid to get "shovels in the ground" at the site of 7,500 homes on the Colchester and Tendring border. 

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said the New Homes Accelerator will “support local authorities and developers" to get projects moving. 

There are 200 sites across England with outline or detailed planning permission for up to 300,000 new homes, which are yet to be built, according to Government analysis.

The Tendring Colchester Borden Garden Community has been revealed as one of three areas which will be monitored by the Government. 

Ms Rayner added: “This Government has a moral obligation to do everything within our power to build the homes that people desperately need and we won’t hesitate to intervene where we need to”.

Pam Cox, MP for Colchester, whose constituency borders the site, said: “I welcome the decision by the Government to help deliver new homes for those struggling to find suitable, affordable housing.

“The New Homes Accelerator shows the Government is delivering on its missions.

"The garden community has the potential to provide new homes, infrastructure and services for residents and the quicker this can be delivered the better.

"We know there is a shortage of the right homes in Colchester and this new development will help to build them."

Campaigner Rosie Pearson, who helped campaign against a garden community in West Tey, said: “What is needed for it to succeed is money to invest in infrastructure and affordable housing. Already the fund for the link road has run out and there will now only be a road to nowhere so all the traffic from 7,500 homes will be spat out into Colchester."

Andy Baker, from Tendring Council, said that the garden community was “progressing smoothly”.

Mr Baker added: “We welcome the government’s drive for increasing housing, which will help to tackle homelessness and boost economic growth, but as we have recognised with our approach to this garden community it is vital that infrastructure is in place to support new homes, and this is a key ask of us to government along the house-building journey.

“As a council our local plan has enough sites allocated to deliver against our existing targets – and a scheduled review of the Local Plan will pick up the revised targets being introduced by government.

“The key issue for us is delivery. We can allocate all the land we want for housing, but unless developers actually build on sites, they have permission for then we cannot hit the targets and risk new homes on inappropriate sites

“We hope therefore this new taskforce can bring pressure to bear on housebuilders too to deliver.”

Councillor David King, leader of Colchester City Council, said: “We believe that this initiative aligns with our shared commitment to providing much-needed housing in our area.

“As a key partner in the Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community (TCBGC), we are making good progress towards an agreed Development Plan that could deliver 7,500 homes over 30 years. This plan will require assurances regarding the infrastructure to be provided, including the new link road in full, as early as practical.

“We are particularly pleased to see the Government’s clear recognition of the vital importance of new infrastructure development to support new housing.

“Now we await details on the New Homes Accelerator and any specific plans for supporting the TCBGC, to ensure that the garden community fully delivers on its promise of providing sustainable, affordable housing for future generations.”