Mersea Island Society comments on the Colchester City Council Regulation 18 Consultation - Preferred Options Local Plan 2025

A Statement Outlining Concerns and Objections

Introduction

The Society was formed to preserve, safeguard and promote the characteristics of

Mersea Island for the benefit of all, to arrange open discussion whenever it appears

necessary to obtain a consensus of public opinion and to provide opportunities to gain

factual knowledge from lectures, visits and discussion of this great island.

Mersea Island Society Committee wishes to formally express its opposition to the

current draft Local Plan for Colchester. This statement outlines the principal concerns

and objections that the Committee has identified, highlighting the potential impact on

Mersea Island and its residents.

Key Concerns

1. Pressure on Local Infrastructure

2. Environmental Impact

3. Overdevelopment and Community Character

4. Lack of Meaningful Consultation

Summary of Objections

• Inadequate consideration of infrastructure limitations

• Insufficient measures to protect the environment and manage flood risk

•  Overambitious housing targets that threaten the community’s character.

• Poor consultation and lack of engagement with Mersea residents and stakeholders

Conclusion

In light of these concerns, Mersea Island Society urges Colchester City Council to

reconsider the draft Local Plan. The Society requests a thorough review of the

proposals as they relate to Mersea Island, with genuine engagement with the localcommunity, robust environmental protections, and a realistic approach to

infrastructure capacity. The Society remains committed to working constructively with

all stakeholders to achieve a sustainable future for Mersea Island and the wider

Colchester area.

The Society is concerned that the consultation process has not been sufficiently

inclusive or transparent. There appears to be a lack of engagement with the specific

needs and circumstances of Mersea Island.

The draft Local Plan proposes a level of housing growth that the Society believes is

disproportionate to the size and character of Mersea Island. Such development risks

altering the identity of the community, placing a strain on local services and

undermining the qualities that make Mersea a desirable place to live and visit.

Mersea Island is a unique and fragile environment, home to diverse wildlife and

protected habitats. The Society is deeply concerned that the scale and nature of the

proposed developments threaten local biodiversity and undermine environmental

protections. There is a risk of increased flooding and erosion, and the plan does not

provide sufficient safeguards for the island’s distinctive landscape and ecology.

The Society is not opposed to very limited growth and for priority for housing to be given

to local particularly young people but an additional 300 houses on top of the 200+ from

the last local plan is unsustainable.

The proposed development sites in the draft Local Plan would place significant

additional pressure on the island’s already limited infrastructure. Concerns include the

capacity of local roads, particularly the Strood causeway, as well as water supply,

drainage, and waste management systems. The Society believes that these issues have

not been adequately addressed within the plan.

The Society will comment on specific texts in the Consultative Document. These to

include comments on the evidence lacking in the consultation documents about the

capacity for growth of West Mersea; provision of medical care and the aging population

on the island; adequacy of the local Water Treatment Centre; our island position and

flooding on the Strood severely affecting entry to and from the island; threats to

environment resulting from overdevelopment; the site allocation on Dawes Lane; bus

links and transport connectivity; ongoing consideration to SMR’s being located at theformer nuclear power station at Bradwell, and the huge gap in money available for

infrastructure improvements.

The Society urges that these comments be considered when further consideration is

given. Mersea in many ways is unique and its future needs safeguarding,

Mersea Island Society Committee

January 2026

The Society says that wholly insufficient attention has been given to Mersea being an

island.