Braintree - North West

As part of a long term strategic plan, Hills Residential has 43 hectares of land to be promoted for the Local Development Framework. 19 hectares have been identified as a special landscape area to the north of Park Farm, with 6.5 hectares to the south, to be zoned as employment. The remainder is to be split between residential and education.

The Core Strategy’s Preferred Option

The Council’s draft Core Strategy identified the land west of Panfield Lane, Braintree, (”Braintree North-West”), as the preferred location for the future expansion of the town.

The draft Core Strategy identifies four key development
requirements for Braintree town, being:

• The provision of additional employment land for local businesses (primarily via the expansion of Springwood Industrial Estate);
• Relocation of Braintree College;
• Relocation of Braintree Football Club;
• The provision of at least 500 private and affordable homes.

Braintree North-West is the only development opportunity capable of delivering successfully against all four objectives, as part of a single planned urban extension.

The Development Partners and Deliverability

All of the land west of Panfield Lane, between the existing Springwood Industrial Estate and the Towerlands complex, is controlled via a joint venture between Mersea Homes and Hills Residential. Both are local development companies based in North Essex, with extensive experience of delivering quality development schemes over many years.

Discussions have already taken place with Braintree College, who have identified this as their required site for relocation, and the Development Partners are equally happy to liaise with the Football Club over their requirements.

Discussions have also occurred with Unex, who are promoting redevelopment of the Towerlands complex as an extension of the Panfield Lane development area, and the potential exists for joint working with Unex should the Council consider it appropriate to extend the development area north to Deanery Hill as part of its strategy for growth beyond 2025.