RIVENHALL Parish Council says the views of the community have been “ignored” after a bid to build 230 new homes was given the go-ahead on appeal.

Developers were given permission for the final phase of a huge 673-home development off Rectory Road after Braintree Council was unable to show it has allocated enough land to cater for more than five years' worth of housing.

However, the parish council expressed concerns that the decision "ignores" the Local Plan and is writing to the government minister for planning and the local MP.

A spokesman said: “The decision to grant consent on this unallocated greenfield site has been made even more difficult to accept by virtue of the details in the inspector's decision letter.

“He dismissed concerns about the loss of much of the countryside gap between Witham and Rivenhall, and impacts on the historic and much valued setting of Rectory Lane.

“He also dismissed concerns about traffic and the new road access on to Rickstones Road, despite admitting there was no survey of vehicle speeds provided at the new access that could show one way or the other as to whether there was compliance with the visibility splay proposed.”

 

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They continued: “Despite the strong representations made by parish councillors at the appeal about the need for some of the Section 106 local benefit to be used in Rivenhall, and despite being shown the condition of the John Ray Walk during the site visit, he declined to direct that any monies should be used on the John Ray Walk to repair it.

“He concluded that the Section 106 monies for community buildings will go entirely to south Witham and that the health contribution will go to central Witham.

“Without a further boundary change, the development of Bellway 'Phase 4', in addition to the already built 'Phase 3' will double the number of houses in Rivenhall parish as well as removing most of the countryside gap between the two settlements.

“So, despite all the consultation engagement by the local community in the Local Plan process, and in each of the major local planning applications, and before that in the drawing up of the Rivenhall Village Design Statement, the views of the local community have been roundly ignored.

“Rivenhall Parish Council has therefore agreed to write to the government minister for planning and the local MP to express our concerns about the decision and the way in which it fails in multiple respects to take account of the views of the Rivenhall community.”