One of the planning conditions imposed by Braintree District Council was that the developers of the Gimsons site provide a construction management plan. They have now provided this, in which they propose to close the footpath from the River Walk to the town park for a period of up to three years. They appear to have conveniently overlooked the fact that the path is registered as a Public Right of Way and as such can only be diverted or closed by a Legal Order. Such orders are made mainly under Section 257 of the Town and County Planning Act 1990. These orders are subject to a full public consultation process and follow a separate application process to that required for planning consent.
Last week you quoted Braintree District Council as saying that it “takes its responsibility as local planning authority seriously and operates a professional and transparent planning service.” Why then, in its planning report of March 19, 2019, relating to the Gimsons development, did it not specifically state it planned to remove the railings to the Witham Town Park which lies within the town conservation area? This matter was not considered by members of the planning committee as they were not told. A petition with 1,138 signatures to “preserve and restore” the park railings was submitted to Braintree District Council. This was because the railings which are located within the Conservation Area are thus designated heritage assets and must be retained.