Plans for 221 homes in Brook Meadows, Tiptree were submitted to Colchester Council last year. The application drew in hundreds of objections including residents, botanists from across the UK, the parish council, and the RSPB. A major issue was the ecological appraisal produced by Aspect Ecology, who allegedly presented the area as low-value scrubland. The report said: “The proposals have sought to minimise impacts and subject to the implementation of appropriate avoidance, mitigation and compensation measures, it is considered unlikely that the proposals will result in significant harm to biodiversity. “On the contrary, the opportunity exists to provide a number of biodiversity net gains as part of the proposals.”
Tiptree council complain to CIEEM over Brook Meadows report gazette-news.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from gazette-news.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Fingringhoe Wick Nature Reserve, near Colchester, Essex
- Credit: Callum Redgrave-Close / Getty Images / iStockphoto
To the surprise of many, Essex is home to many unique habitats for wildlife and wilderness landscapes of international significance. There are also many beautiful wild spots in the county that you can discover too
1. Abberton Reservoir, nr Colchester
Just south of Colchester is one of Europe’s important wetland sites. Essex & Suffolk Water’s Abberton Reservoir is a haven for migratory birds and you will find nesting cormorants and grey herons nearby at Layer Breton Causeway.