There is yuletide delight that no extra homes are being recommended for Braintree and Witham in a report, published on Tuesday, from last summer's public examination of the proposed new Essex County Plan.
And independent panel chairman, Chris Offord, and inspector Richard Ogier, who held the four-week examination at Chelmsford --are against Witham, Hatfield Peverel and Rivenhall being earmarked for major housing development.
Their report was made public by Essex County Council on Tuesday but the county does not have to accept its suggestions, although it must put up persuasive reason if it does.
County officers declined to express any opinions at the document launch.
At the inquiry Braintree's planners insisted the district had an imbalance of housing to jobs, forcing 40 per cent to commute to work.
Their argument, accepted the panel, pegs Braintree district's housing requirement at 10,300 by 2011.
The team is also pushing for a rail link from Braintree to Stansted and the use of the Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds to Cambridge line as a 'freight filter' to help improve passenger train efficiency on the Ipswich-Witham-Chelmsford-London line.
Delighted Braintree MP Alan Hurst said: ''The threat of ribbon development along the A12 corridor proposed by developers which would have impacted directly on Witham, Hatfield Peverel and Kelvedon has been lifted.''
But he points out that the area still remains third from top of the list of Essex towns facing most new homes, behind Chelmsford and Colchester.
John Gyford leader of Braintree Council added: ''The whole idea of strategic developments in Hatfield Peverel,Witham and Rivenhall has been rejected.
''We have said from the outset that Braintree has done its bit in terms of new housing and that argument has now been vindicated."
The county will publish its response in the new year and put any proposed modifications to its plans for widespread consultation in March and April 2000.
Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article