Plans submitted for new 7,750-home garden community for Tendring and Colchester
- Latimer, the development arm of Clarion Housing Group, submits planning for innovative garden community masterplan
- 7,750 high-quality new homes, with 30% delivered as affordable homes comprising affordable rent, social rent and shared ownership
- 6,000+ full time jobs
- 3 walkable neighbourhoods including schools, a civic centre and a new public transport system
- Over 50% open space, 30km of mature hedgerows retained, and a 60ha country park
Latimer, the development arm of Clarion Housing Group, the UK’s largest housing association, is pleased to announce the submission of a planning application for Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community, bringing new and affordable housing, education, employment, workspaces and accessible green spaces to north Essex for future generations.
The proposal includes three distinct neighbourhoods, with up to four primary schools, one secondary school, mobility hubs, health hubs, and a central civic common including cultural venues and a modern Guildhall. Across the neighbourhoods, Latimer will deliver a mix of 7,750 high-quality and energy efficient, low-bill homes, with at least 30% designated as affordable, including social rent, affordable rent and shared ownership homes. The new Garden Community is projected to generate 6,000+ full time jobs, and a rapid public transport system will connect to Colchester and surrounding centres.
Latimer’s plan for the flagship Garden Community emphasises infrastructure provision and long-term public benefit. Central to this is Latimer’s commitment to design quality, environmental improvements, and investment in current and future residents - marrying ambition and viability.
Guided by the local landscape, the masterplan is based on retaining over 30km of existing hedgerow-lined country lanes, preserving historic field margins and mature ecological networks. Designed with over 50% open space, it features a 60ha country park, restored woodland networks, and over 10ha dedicated to local food production including orchards and allotments.
The plan is underpinned by extensive engagement with local groups and organisations, and public exhibitions and live roadshow events across Tendring and Colchester. This includes a pioneering Youth Engagement Programme, involving the next generation of young people in shaping the design and long-term vision. Latimer has assembled an award-winning team of architects, landscape designers and sustainability experts to design an innovative Garden Community which will support sustainable future living, while capturing the spirit of the region.
The proposal includes a detailed component for the first phases of development, including 837 homes, the first phases of the parkland, flexible workspaces for local small businesses, a transport hub, and Gateway Place, a new public quarter with a market square, to build a vibrant, thriving community from day one.
Richard Cook, Chief Development Officer at Clarion Housing Group, said:
“This submission marks a major step forward in delivering a flagship new Garden Community for Tendring and Colchester, and a landmark moment for Clarion. Housing associations stepping into the role of master developer is nationally significant, as it demonstrates how organisations with a social purpose can create large-scale well-designed communities, expertly meet local housing need, while creating lasting social and environmental value. We would like to acknowledge and thank the broad range of project partners that have helped us get to this important milestone, including our Local Authority partners, Homes England, MHCLG and our design team. In this context, and as the government grapples with how to deliver new towns that are fully integrated, and deliverable, we hope that it will provide a valuable model of what is possible.”
Russ Edwards, TCBGC Project Director at Latimer, said:
“The Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community masterplan reflects years of dedicated, collaborative working with councils, communities, and a dynamic, multidisciplinary design team, and collectively, we are very excited for the next steps in taking the proposal forward. The scheme demonstrates a shared passion to create an ambitious, inclusive, and regenerative new community – one which the whole of North Essex can be proud of.”