PROPOSALS for a £7 million holiday park in Woodham Walter have been given the thumbs down by parish councillors over fears the plans would change the nature of the village.

Now Maldon District Council will decide the fate of the scheme to build 70 new holiday lodges at The Warren Estate after Woodham Walter Parish Council decided yesterday (Wednesday 5 August) to recommend that the planning application is rejected. There are currently 102 lodges at the site and the parish councillors believe there is no evidence to suggest a tourism demand for more.

This comes days after Essex County Council's head of tourism, Lisa Bone, welcomed the plans, with The Warren Estate claiming the development would bring dozens of new jobs to the area and a boost to the local economy of more than £4million a year.

Residents aired their fears at an earlier meeting

A public meeting was held on Zoom on Monday (3 August) where residents aired their fears that there would be no demand for the lodges and claimed they could end up being sold off individually, arguing that this could effectively bring a large number of new residents to the village without the necessary infrastructure.

Several of the existing lodges have been sold off and others are currently up for sale at around £200,000 each.

Parish Councillors question the demand

At yesterday's Parish Council meeting, members focussed on all aspects of the detailed plans, including the appearance of the buildings, the loss of open land, flood prevention, lighting and the impact of heavy vehicles on roads during construction. In every aspect, councillors called into question the plans and survey findings submitted with the application.

Parish Council Chair, Councillor John Tompkins, said: "For all these reasons, the Parish Council cannot concede that this is a sustainable development.

"There is no evidence provided for need or demand, either economically or socially."

They also questioned claims in the proposal that up to 97 new jobs would be created and that there is a demand for holiday accommodation of this scale in the area.

Holiday lodge plans for a different site in the village were turned down last year

Councillor Tompkins mentioned the Planning Inspector's appeal decision in April 2019 on a proposal by a different applicant to build 10 holiday lodges in the village at Meadows Barn, in Bassetts Lane.

Maldon District Council had previously rejected the Meadows Barns plans and the inspector agreed with the council's view that the existing 102 lodges on The Warren Estate 'fulfils any tourism need within the area and any further accommodation would be surplus' - and the appeal was turned down.

The planning application will be decided by Maldon District Council at a date yet to be set.