Plans to build a holiday park including 70 new lodges, the redevelopment of a clubhouse and a new golf academy at Woodham Walter will come before Maldon District Council this week.

Members of the council's North West Area Planning Committee will decide on the application for the development at The Warren Estate on Wednesday, 10 February. The council's planning officers have recommended refusal.

The plans for the Warren Estate include 50 new lodges for family activity breaks, while the other 20 proposed would be for adults only and offer short breaks.

The plans also include an upgrade and redevelopment of the existing Bunsay Clubhouse at the golf club, as well as a new golf academy single/part two-storey building.

Objections and concerns

The plans were given the thumbs-down by Woodham Walter Parish Council last August over fears the development would change the nature of the village. There are currently 102 lodges at the site and the parish councillors believed there was no evidence to suggest a tourism demand for more.

The parish councils of Woodham Mortimer with Hazeleigh, Langford and Ulting, Danbury and Little Baddow, as well as Chelmsford City Council, also objected to and raised concerns over the plans with regard to potential overdevelopment of the rural spot.

182 letters of objection to the development were received by Maldon District Council and 19 letters of support.

In a weighty report on the planning application, Maldon District officers' reasons for recommending refusal include:

- the development would be "incongruous and visually harmful" with "an urbanising impact" upon the rural setting

-insufficient evidence of need for the 70 new lodges, making it "inappropriate development"

-the Bunsay Clubhouse redevelopment and use of land to the south of the building for 50 lodges would result in harm to the amenity of the area through noise for some nearby homes

-the 20 proposed lodges on land to the east of Wayside would erode the "idyllic rural surroundings" of the heritage asset

-the absence of a legally-binding Section 106 agreement with the developer on a Travel Plan monitoring fee.

Further background

The Planning Inspector turned down an appeal 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'.