GOVERNMENT funding of £1 million has been secured to help speed up the development of garden communities in north Essex.

Colchester, Braintree and Tendring councils, supported by Essex County Council, are collectively working on a shared blueprint for development in their areas over the next 50 plus years.

Together, the authorities have set up North Essex Garden Communities, which has been awarded the funding as part of a £9 million war chest handed out nationwide by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Tim Young, deputy leader of Colchester Council, said: “We have already made great strides to develop an approach to garden communities that not only deliver the housing we need but the infrastructure the new communities will need to flourish.

"This recognition from the Government shows that while we still have a way to go in turning the plans into reality we have national support for the direction we are taking and the objectives we are seeking to achieve for the benefit of our future generations.”

In June, Government planning inspector Roger Clews said the council's joint garden community proposals needed more work before they could be ruled sound.

Planning expert LUC has been brought in to create a Sustainability Appraisal and will "rigorously assess" potential sites for garden communities.

Once this appraisal is complete, any necessary modifications will be considered by each council's Local Plan Committee.

The changes could then go out to public consultation this summer, before being re-examined by the Planning Inspector.

John Spence CBE, chairman of NEGC, said: "The Government rightly recognises the importance of North Essex both in terms of its economic potential, and also in the work being done to look at how homes of the future will be provided in a manner that supports the creation of cohesive communities and ensures the necessary social and strategic infrastructure is provided.

“The partnership of councils has been very clear that housing, jobs, economic growth, skills and infrastructure are inextricably linked. The best way of achieving these aims in the long-term is through the creation of purpose-built new communities."

The Campaign Against Urban Sprawl in Essex (Cause) has warned a legal opinion is needed on the Sustainability Appraisal before it goes any further.

A spokesman said: "The councils talk of transparency yet they refuse to publish the viability and infrastructure evidence which will demonstrate that promises can actually be met. All hot air and no substance.

"Last July Braintree's leader, Graham Butland, told full council it would take three months to remedy the flaws to the garden community proposals.

"We now know that it will take at least two years, just as the Inspector predicted."