Tendring and Colchester Borders Garden Community

Tendring and Colchester Borders Garden Community (TCBGC)

Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community, or TBCGC, will be a new, self-sufficient, and sustainable community located in around 715 Ha of land to the east of Colchester, between the A120 and the A133. The new community will include:

· Around 7,500 new homes including affordable homes.

· A new country park.

· Dedicated new employment space.

· 3 neighbourhood centres

· New primary and secondary schools and early years centres

· A range of community facilities that will serve both the existing and new community.

A new, specific, planning policy document has been developed by Colchester, Tendring and Essex Councils to control how the new community is developed – the Development Plan Document, or DPD.

What is the TCGBC Development Plan Document?

The Development Plan Document (DPD) provides guidance for the delivery of the new Garden Community. Latimer will build on the principles outlined in the DPD through the development of their proposals. Adjacent images show extracts from the document showing the strategic framework masterplan developed by Prior & Partners. The key principles from the document are outlined below outlining what the Garden Community will provide:

· Large assets of outdoor natural environments.

· The right jobs, homes, and spaces for all aspects of life.

· Opportunities for employment within the new community.

· Community spaces, play spaces, local schools and a network of sport and leisure facilities.

· Established long term stewardship of infrastructure from the outset.

· Structure around a dense network of traffic free walk and cycle routes

· Rapid public transit prioritised and supported by a range of innovative mobility measures.

· Easy sustainable living for its residents to live happy, healthy lives.

Latimer and the design team are at the very early stage of designing the new community and are working towards an outline planning application next summer.

Over the next year or so the Engagement Team which is made up from a number of partners will be facilitating a number of opportunities to engage with the design, express views and participate in events that will influence the emerging design proposals. These engagement opportunities will include:

· Formal consultation events and exhibitions

· C360 and CVS Tendring facilitated conversations and focused meetings.

· Participation at community events

· Digital updates through dedicated website and bulletins

TCBGC engagement prospectus

The Engagement Team:

Community Engagement Leads:

CVS Tendring– a local independent charity that supports voluntary and community action empowering people in Tendring will be leading on this for the Tendring District engaging with communities to hear views, and feed  priorities into the new Garden Community

Community 360 – will be working with in a similar way Colchester communities. . 

Design Team Interface and Local Engagement Lead:

Grounded – bring local experience of Colchester and experience of delivering characterful designs that are grounded by a blend of private and public sector experience.

Youth Engagement Lead:

MATT+FIONA – ask young people how their built environment might be improved and empower them to bring that vision to life. They are working with the Essex Young Designers to help evolve the project vision and the early design ideas.

Political Engagement:

Connect – aim to improve community groups to seize opportunities and become more enterprising and sustainable. They will be engaging with local councillors and leading on communications and co-ordination.