The many letters to this paper and the hundreds of objections to Braintree Council evidence the level of concern about the proposed housing development on the Gimsons land in Witham.

As the local county councillor, I have also received many emails raising specific issues, two of which I have taken up with Braintree Council.

The first concerns the access. A quiet cul-de-sac that goes past Helen Court is proposed to become the access road to the new estate, crossing a path that links the River Walk to the Park.

The access road would destroy an area of trees as it enters the Gimsons land.

The owner of the land stated in his letter to the Times that “this footpath will be much safer once the new houses have been built”.

How is that statement in any way credible given the current path has no road traffic on or near it and is used by many people to safely walk through that part of Witham?

Secondly there are justified concerns about the loss of many trees and the knock-on impact on wildlife.

The information I have seen from Bellway and Braintree Council suggests most of the trees on the site will be destroyed, including all of the trees along the park frontage and many near the River Walk. While some trees on the Gimsons land have protection, most do not and so I asked Braintree Council in October for a blanket tree preservation order on the site so no trees could be taken out before the planning application was decided. The council refused that request.

New homes are needed but Witham and villages to the south of Braintree are already taking a large number – consents now number in the thousands.

Braintree Council can now demonstrate the nationally required five-year supply – but because it has failed to get its new Local Plan agreed, sites like Gimsons remain vulnerable to developer pressure.

The Draft Local Plan says the site could be suitable for up to 40 homes, but the application is for 78.

In 2013, the council said it would have a new Local Plan by 2017.

It looks as if it will now not get an agreed plan until at least 2020, possibly 2021, and that is largely because it chose to plough on with the so-called garden communities part of the plan, which a Government Inspector found to be legally unsound in June.

This approach, which is being taken jointly with Colchester and Tendring councils, has also led to delays in agreeing safety improvements to the A12.

Ironically, the leader of Braintree Council said the garden communities plan would stop unsustainable growth of the existing towns and villages and would ensure the services needed to support growth would come forward.

Given that Witham’s roads continue to get more congested at peak times, that the town has lost its police station, magistrates court and district council office and there is still no sign of the much-needed community hospital, perhaps he meant to say “except for Witham”.

James Abbott

County Councillor for Witham North

Rivenhall