NEWS

The Uttlesford District Council Planning Portal shows that a Planning Application has just been made to UDC in respect of the Water Tower site in Garnetts Lane, Felsted (UTT/25/1929/OP).

This application refers to the site the subject to a public consultation held by the land-owner’s agents earlier this year.

As part of the continuing consultation process which commenced in March 2024, on 11th/12th July 2025 at the URC the Neighbourhood Plan Review Group sought parishioner’s further comments about these (and other) development proposals which are being considered for inclusion in the Review. To help assess the viability of proposals, various options, conditions and DRAFT policies have been discussed with agents for sites under consideration. However, no site allocations or policies have yet been formally adopted by the Review Group in a Reg 14 submission.

The Group does not anticipate progressing to the next stage (Reg 14) until it has assessed further evidence – particularly in relation to access – and a Strategic Environmental Assessment has been conducted and the outcome assessed. This is unlikely to be before late September 2025.

Meanwhile, this application will be considered in the prescribed manner by the Planning Committee of Felsted Parish Council. As previously stated at the Consultation Events, the result of the ‘vote’ and the comments received at the Events will be shared and will help to inform the Parish’s formal response to UDC about the application.

Parishioners who wish to make any personal representations or comment about this (or any) application are advised to do so directly to Uttlesford District Council as the Local Planning Authority. You have until 27th August to consider and submit your response; you may do so by following the link below:

https://publicaccess.uttlesford.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=SZLTDDQNK4T00&activeTab=summary

The Review Group.

UCAN is the residents charity for Uttlesford, working to improve life for everyone who lives here. Their mobile community supermarket, in partnership with The Active Wellbeing Society and Uttlesford District Council was launched earlier this year selling basic essentials at cheap prices.

The Community Supermarket will now be located at Flitch Green, Hallett Road Car Park (instead of the previous location of Holy Cross Church).

They will be in this location on Tuesday 12th August between 9.30am and 11.30am, and then every other week.

Please note: A referral is NOT needed in order to access the support.

Token Vote

• Total tokens issued:142 (One per household attending)
• Water Tower site:60
• Bloor Homes Site:65
• No preference expressed:17

Analysis of Comments

In addition to the token count, as shown above, we have very carefully read and considered the 83 comments left over the two days on the ‘Comments’ boards by the 190 (Friday 86 and Saturday 104) individuals who attended. (Where more than one post -it appears to have been used to express a view by the same contributor, the additional note has been counted as a single comment.).

We have given a categorisation code to each comment.

There is a degree of subjectivity in the categorisation of the responses, but we have tried to ensure the code matches the intent of the contributor.

The majority (35 notes) are assessed (GC) as providing general comments about development in and the pressure on infrastructure, urging resistance to any further development but without offering specific comment on the two major sites on display.

Following the event the Parish clerk also received six emails form residents who were unable to attend but asked for their views to be considered.

• (SBH) Seven (7+2) offered comments clearly in SUPPORT of the Bloor Homes site.
• (ABH) Nineteen (19+1) offered comments clearly AGAINST the Bloor Homes site.
• (SWT) Two (2) offered comments clearly in SUPPORT of the Water Tower site.
• (AWT) Twenty (20 +3) offered comments clearly AGAINST the Water Tower site.

Neither the token vote nor the ‘comments’ at the consultation event have provided an overwhelmingly clear result.

The distribution of the tokens shows greater support for the Bloor Homes site (65) over the Water Tower site (60). The notes on the ‘Comments’ boards and the emails are also evenly balanced, with similar numbers rejecting both sites (20 and 23) and a slightly greater number (7+2) offering specific support for the Bloor Homes site as opposed to (2) offering support for the Water Tower site.

As we have consistently said, this is NOT a simple ‘numbers game’.

In further developing the Review we will also now carefully consider the result of the Strategic Environmental Assessment, (which we are increasingly hopeful will be funded) and will be an important factor in determining how we proceed to producing a DRAFT plan for assessment in accord with Reg 14, when parishioners will have a further opportunity to comment on the plan before it is submitted to a Planning Inspector.

The Inspector will decide whether the plan is compliant with the Neighbourhood Plan Regulations, if further work is required or if we can proceed to a Referendum, when parishioners will finally be able to decide whether to support the plan.

The Review Group

Essex Police have seen cases where fraudsters pretend to be police officers over the phone—to trick people into giving away personal information or money.

A Police Officer will never:

Ask for your bank details or PIN

Ask you to transfer money to another account

Ask you to withdraw money

Ask you to hand over cash or cards to a courier

Demand payment of fines or fees over the phone or online

Request access to your computer or passwords

Say you’re committing a crime for not complying

If you’re unsure whether someone is a genuine officer – STOP – Wait 5 minutes and call 101 or visit Essex Police online to verify their identity

IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ!

The Government has pledged to accelerate housebuilding and deliver 1.5 million homes over this Parliament and has ‘a presumption in favour of sustainable development’. Many communities, including ours, are under huge pressure to build more houses. This means that, no matter how hard we try, there is increasingly less certainty that our objections to any planning application will be successful.

However, over the last 5 years, the 2020 Neighbourhood Plan (NP) has been successful in stopping unwanted development in our parish and delivering improved amenities for Felsted people.

The Review Group is once again trying to produce a NP that will protect us. We must accept that we can’t stop all development, but with your help we can try to limit it, say where we would prefer it to be, and the kind of homes it delivers.

Two major developments have now come forward which will primarily impact people living in the village centre and at Watch House and Bannister Greens. Both will also add to traffic throughout the parish and change the nature of our communities.

We also face the development of huge solar farms that will cover 15% of the parish. The largest, the Hedgehog Solar Farm, is designated a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP); that means it’s government policy and we can’t stop it!

This leaflet explains a little more about the challenges we face and invites your engagement.

On Friday the 11th of July between 5pm and 8pm and on Saturday the 12th of July between 10am and 1pm at the URC Hall in Stebbing Road, we are holding informal consultation events to explain what’s happening and to offer you an opportunity to express your views. We need to know what you think, and we need your support. Please come along.

The Neighbourhood Plan Review Group

What is the ‘The 5-year Housing Supply’ and why should I care?

Local planning authorities in England have a statutory requirement to have an ability to demonstrate a 5-year housing land supply (5YHLS) to identify and update annually with a sufficient supply of deliverable sites to meet their housing needs for the next five years. This means councils must show they have enough land available and suitable for residential development to build the number of homes they are required by central government to deliver over the next five years.

Central government has allocated UDC 13,500 homes (which becomes 14,741 with the necessary “9% “buffer” added). Over the last few years UDC hasn’t granted enough planning applications, so now doesn’t have a 5YHLS to meet its allocation. (Last reported as around 4.12 years)

 UDC has now distributed its new allocation across 60 parishes: Felsted must deliver around 104 additional new homes by 2041.

Uttlesford’s District Council’s Local Plan is also “out of date” (the new UDC Local plan is now subject to Inspection).

About the Neighbourhood Plan

Our 2020 Neighbourhood Plan stopped large developments in the parish for 5 years but it lost its greatest weight of influence in February this year. We have, for many months now been trying to produce a formal Review of the 2020 plan, which would again give the plan maximum weight in resisting unwanted development and might also achieve some further community gain.

In March 2024 we held open days at the Memorial Hall; we showed you 12 sites that had been submitted by landowners as potential development sites to UDC and asked where you would prefer to see development of around 80 new homes. We called it deciding ‘the least worst options’!

Some, but not enough, of you came along and we listened carefully to your views.

Some of you who didn’t come are now wishing you had!

We’re again giving up many hours of our time to ensure people know what’s happening and what power you have to influence the plan.

GIVE UP A LITTLE OF YOUR TIME TO ENGAGE WITH THE US

PLEASE BELIEVE US, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT

 What Is a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)?

‘A SEA examines the potential impact of a plan on the neighbourhood area where it contains sensitive natural or heritage assets that may be affected by the proposals in the plan.’

Uttlesford DC have only recently decided that we need an SEA. This is delaying the progress of our NP. The irony is the regulations do not require potential developers to have a SEA for schemes submitted outside the plan!

Sunnybrook II

The Review Group favours a development of an additional 17 new homes at Sunnybrook Farm. This extension of the existing development also offers a generous site to be given to the community for the potential future relocation of our village shop and post office which, in the meantime, the parish will maintain as an open green space.

The Water Tower site in Garnetts Lane

This site was one of those presented in March 2024 by the Review Group at the consultation held in the Memorial Hall. It offers the capacity for around 70 homes. In addition to the statutory requirement of 35% affordable housing it also offers six social housing units (to be given to the Felsted Community Trust). However, it has negative impacts on the views of the residents in Garnetts Lane and the access to the site is restricted. Essex Highways have been consulted and, to help inform the planning application, have required a survey to determine traffic volumes and the usage of Garnetts Lane and Stebbing Road and an appraisal to consider the safety of pedestrians/cyclists and equestrian.

Both the building and the subsequent occupation of the homes will be initially disruptive and over time will increase traffic movements in the village centre. Following a presentation by the landowner’s agent Springfield Planning in April, residents from Garnetts Lane attended the Parish Council and expressed their strong objections to the plans.

The Watch House/Bannister Green Bloor Homes site

This site was also one of those presented in March 2024 by the Review Group but with an important change.

This amended site was also brought forward in April in a public consultation by Phase 2 Planning on behalf of Bloor Homes. (We refer to this as the Bloor Homes site.) Access to the site is much improved, and the proposed housing mix is welcome. But, largely coterminous with the original site, proposed development of around 100 homes would bring coalescence between Watch House and Bannister Green, effectively losing the distinct identity of those communities.

Hedgehog Solar Farm

Additionally, the impact of the Hedgehog Solar farm on these communities is significant and not to be discounted or underestimated.

What Can I do?

Come along on Friday the 11th July between 5pm and 8pm or on Saturday the 12th July between 10am and 1pm at the URC Hall in Stebbing Road.

We will display the material provided by the agents for both the Water Tower and Bloor Homes sites and our assessment criteria.

You will be asked to register your name and address and indicate your preferences for the Water Tower or the Bloor Homes site and to leave written comments.

This is NOT a planning by numbers event!

There may be other factors thrown up by the planning process that impact the final decision as to which sites are included in the Reviewed Felsted Neighbourhood Plan.

Developers may and are very likely to submit Planning Applications outside of the Neighbourhood Plan process before we can complete the plan and they could all be approved! That is the reality of the impact of the government’s housing policy.

So, a vote in favour of one site or the other doesn’t necessarily mean that only one will be developed: that is out of our control.

 Once we have considered all the public comments and reviewed our site assessments, we aim to bring forward a draft NP for a formal consultation under Regulation 14 of the Neighbourhood Planning Regulations. You will once again have an opportunity to comment.

 A draft plan, once approved by UDC will then be sent to a Planning Inspector who will ensure regulatory compliance and will say if it can be subject to a local referendum. Once again you get the chance to make your opinion count by voting.

If the final draft is adopted and ‘Made’ it will become part of the Local Plan and offer us some protection from future development. If it is not supported and the draft fails at referendum, the developers will have won.

We know this is all very complicated: it is also very important!

We’ll do our best to further explain the issues at the Drop-in Sessions:–

Come along on Friday the 11th of July between 5pm and 8pm or on Saturday the 12th July between 10am and1pm at the URC Hall in Stebbing Road.

Chelmsford City Live is taking place at Chelmsford Racecourse this weekend (4-6 July). Here are details of road closures and traffic management for the event that might affect residents.

Moulsham Hall Lane Closure:
Moulsham Hall Lane will be closed between the Moulsham Hall Lane roundabout and Blackley Lane. This closure will be in effect from midday to 1:00 AM on Friday 4th, Saturday 5th, and Sunday 6th July.

Blackley Lane One-Way System:
From midday to approximately 9:00 PM on Friday 4th, Saturday 5th, and Sunday 6th July, Blackley Lane will operate as one-way towards Moulsham Hall Lane. From 9:00 PM to 2:00 AM on Friday 4th, Saturday 5th, and Sunday 6th July, the one-way system will reverse, with traffic flowing towards London Road.