A LAND promoter is supporting up to 5,000 homes, a country park, and a new Free School between Braintree and Colchester.

Lightwood Planning has shown interest in a site near Pattiswick, which could be developed into a Garden Community.

Braintree, Colchester and Tendring Councils identified three sites for potential Garden Communities which would deliver homes, schools, and healthcare facilities.

They would be east of Greenstead in Colchester, at West Tey between Marks Tey and Coggeshall, and at Andrewsfield, west of Braintree.

During the public consultation of the districts Local Plan Lightwood Planning put forward a new submission for Monks Wood Garden Village- a site not picked out by councillors.

Lightwood Strategic, who are promoting the site on behalf of the Trustees for the Holfield Grange Estate, said Braintree Council is aware of the availability of the site and will review it as an option.

Their Expression of Interest report looks at several options for a new settlement of at least 5,000 homes During the first phase 1,500 homes could be built.

Plans also include developing the land a 120 acre country park, a new Free School, and a sports hub.

The proposed site is about five kilometres to the east of Braintree and 10 kilometres west of Colches- ter.

Phil Chichester, Director at Lightwood Strategic, said: “The land owners want to establish the Poundbury of North Essex- the existing estate provides a unique opportunity to deliver the highest quality environment, which looks at design and sustainable living, ahead of profit and mass produc- tion. “The concept is simple, if Braintree has to build such vast numbers, do it the right way, with Braintree leading the process.”

If their bid is successful, a planning application could be submit- ted in the last quarter of 2016.

They will have a decision by the middle of 2017 and suspect the first completions will be at the end of 2018.

RESIDENTS in villages near Braintree feel “betrayed” by a landowner wanting to build up to 5,000 homes.

Residents from Pattiswick, Coggeshall and Stisted came out to air their views on the site which stretches from Compasses Road, Pattiswick, in the west to the Coggeshall perimeter in the east.

Susan Eley, a Pattiswick resident, said: “It’s horrendous, both for the people who live here and the wider environment.

“This area is used by walkers and cyclists - it’s a real amenity with the woodland. It would be a great loss.”

Tina Sivyer, from Coggeshall, said: “I come here for walking- there’s an issue of destroying the farmland. It’s a betrayal of the heritage - people make a

conscious decision to choose rurality over convenience.”

They believed there were plenty of brownfield sites to build houses on.

Marie Webb, from Bradwell Parish Council, said: “We feel betrayed, we have been heavily involved in trying to stop any development but this happened

at the very last minute.

“Essex is so utterly beautiful - to think these people have upset so many people, they couldn’t care less. It’s walking over us and I’m very angry.”

In May Braintree Council turned down plans for a similar large scale development at Temple Border, on the eastern edge of Braintree, which was for 4,000 homes. Residents hoped the plans for Pattiswick would go the same way.