Proposals
Our vision for a landscape-led new community
Land South of Halstead Road offers the opportunity to create a carefully planned, landscape-led new community for Eight Ash Green, providing up to 250 new homes, including up to 75 affordable homes, alongside extensive green spaces, recreational facilities and environmental enhancements.
Our vision is to work alongside Colchester City Council, Eight Ash Green Parish Council, key stakeholders and local residents to create a sustainable neighbourhood that delivers high-quality new homes, extensive green spaces and new community infrastructure, benefiting both existing and future residents.
Community feedback will also help shape the scheme. As technical work is completed and views are received, the proposals will continue to evolve ahead of a planning application to Colchester City Council.
The scheme
Designed to meet the needs of the local community
The proposals seek to create a high-quality new neighbourhood that responds to the character of Eight Ash Green whilst delivering lasting benefits for existing and future residents.
- Up to 250 new homes, including up to 75 affordable dwellings, with a mix of house types to help meet local housing needs.
- Extensive publicly accessible green space, including new community parkland.
- At least 10% Biodiversity Net Gain, creating new habitats and enhancing existing ecological features.
- New walking and cycling routes, improving connections with Eight Ash Green, existing public rights of way and the surrounding countryside.
- New opportunities for recreation, including a Local Equipped Area for Play (LEAP), community green spaces and informal recreation.
- Sustainable drainage features, integrated into the landscape to manage surface water whilst also contributing to biodiversity and attractive green spaces.
- A new Community Facility, which we would like feedback from the Community on, which could include allotments or a skate park.
The site
Site location
Land South of Halstead Road is located on the western edge of Eight Ash Green and has been identified as a proposed allocation under Policy PP32a within the Regulation 19 draft Colchester Local Plan.
The site sits alongside the existing village and is well placed to provide new homes within easy reach of local facilities, public rights of way and the surrounding countryside.
The proposals seek to integrate new development with the existing village whilst retaining the site’s distinctive landscape character and creating new green spaces for the benefit of both existing and future residents.
Site boundary
Residential
Continuous building frontage along the primary street
Marker buildings
Primary access street
Lower-order internal streets / private drives
Informal open space
Indicative drainage areas / SuDS
Existing trees and hedgerows retained and enhanced
Proposed tree planting
Informal pedestrian / leisure routes
Existing Public Right of Way
Potential pedestrian crossings
Potential future footway along Halstead Road
Potential community use/facility within the open space
Opportunities for play and biodiversity enhancements
30m buffer from the local wildlife site
John Flower Ave
Halstead Road
Wood Lane
Fiddlers Wood
Landscaping and green space
A landscape-led approach to planning
Landscape will be central to the design of the new neighbourhood, with a significant area of publicly accessible open space forming an important part of the proposals.
This will include community parkland on the western edge of the site, providing opportunities for walking, recreation, informal play and spending time in nature. Existing trees, hedgerows and green corridors will be retained wherever possible and enhanced through extensive new planting and habitat creation. This area has potential to include land for a new community facility.
The proposals will also deliver at least 10% Biodiversity Net Gain, meaning that the site will provide greater value for wildlife than it does today. New habitats, planting, green spaces and sustainable drainage features will work together to create an attractive landscape setting for both new and existing residents.
Transport
Sustainable travel and safer pedestrian routes
Transport and access proposals focus on creating safer, more convenient connections between the development and the wider village, while supporting sustainable travel.
The proposals currently include:
- New footways on the southern side of Halstead Road.
- Upgraded bus stops.
- A new vehicle access from Halstead Road via a priority junction.
- New pedestrian crossing facilities on Halstead Road, with signalised and uncontrolled options being considered along key routes between the development and village facilities.
Measures to help reduce vehicle speeds on Halstead Road are being considered, including speed-activated signage. Our project team are awaiting discussions with Essex County Council and its comments before any such measures are finalised. A Transport Assessment will consider existing traffic conditions, highway capacity and accessibility within Eight Ash Green, informed by traffic surveys carried out across the village and wider highway network in May 2026. A Travel Plan will also identify opportunities to encourage sustainable travel.
We would welcome local residents’ views on the existing local highway network, including any issues or opportunities they feel should be considered as the proposals develop.
Site boundary
Halstead Road
Proposed vehicular, pedestrian and cycle access
Proposed pedestrian and cycle access
Proposed pedestrian and cycle and an emergency vehicle access
Proposed primary street
Indicative secondary street connections
Pedestrian and cycle link with emergency vehicle access
Indicative informal footpaths within the site
Wider pedestrian connections
Potential pedestrian crossings
PRoW
Existing bus stops
Holy Trinity Primary school
Convenience store / petrol station
Takeaway
Hair & Beauty Salon- Fiddlers Hill
- John Flower Ave
- Fiddlers Folley
- Wood Lane
Fiddlers Wood
Local infrastructure
Facilities for local people – what would you like to see?
As part of the planning process, the proposals will be considered by Colchester City Council, Essex County Council and other statutory consultees to identify any infrastructure improvements or contributions that are required to support the development.
Where necessary, the proposals will be supported by appropriate planning obligations and contributions towards local infrastructure. This could include matters such as additional school places, local healthcare improvements and local transport improvements.
However, we would like to understand from Local Residents their views on Local Infrastructure concerns and requirements.
The precise requirements will be confirmed as the proposals progress through the planning process.
Sustainable drainage
Managing surface water and creating natural habitats
The proposed layout provides sufficient space for the management of surface water within the site.
Where required, surface water from the development will be attenuated on-site within drainage basins. Water would then discharge into the local ditch network at a rate no higher than the current greenfield run-off rate.
On-site attenuation will be designed to manage flows up to and including the 1 in 100 annual probability storm event.
These drainage features can also form part of the wider landscape and green infrastructure network, contributing to biodiversity and creating attractive green spaces within the development.
Anglian Water has confirmed that waste water generated by the proposed development can be discharged to its network and treated at the local Waste Water Recycling Centre.
