AHEAD of a decision due this week, residents in the Latchingdon area have renewwed their objection to a planned 140 home planning application.

The residents' statement comes ahead of Wednesday's (3 Septrember) District Planning Committee on the Latchingdon 140-home applicatio. It sets out objections from both Anglian Water and the Environment Agency, alongside evidence of sewage flooding, residents' experiences, and serious concerns about education and healthcare capacity. Government planning guidance and a recent King's Counsel opinion also confirm that refusal may be the only lawful outcome where there is no realistic prospect of capacity being delivered.

The full statement is below

On Wednesday 3rd September, Maldon District Council's District Planning Committee will decide whether to allow 140 new homes in Latchingdon. Local residents are urging councillors to refuse, saying the village's drains, sewage system and flood defences simply cannot cope.

People here are already living with failing infrastructure. On Christmas Day last year, Anglian Water were called because pumps failed and toilets would not flush. Anglian Water confirmed there was no blockage the system simply could not cope. In summer 2024, sewage backed up under homes in Ramsey Chase, leaving a stench for weeks. At Ludgrove the only storm drain floods the road when it rains, while gardens and fields behind properties regularly sit under water. One resident says they have had Anglian Water out so often they've had to buy their own drain rods to unblock the toilet and they worry the new turning will only add to road safety dangers on a stretch already described as a race track.

Planning officers have attempted to recommend approval by attaching conditions suggesting no homes can be occupied until a foul drainage strategy is agreed. But Anglian Water have since confirmed there is no prospect of capacity being available at Latchingdon until at least 2030. In their words, conditions are not appropriate and planning permission should be refused. Government guidance supports this: conditions cannot be used where there is no realistic prospect of delivery, along with a King's Counsel legal opinion in October 2023: "where there is evidence of a positive risk of harm in a particular case, a planning authority would be obliged to take that risk into account and the refusal of permission for the development (or the imposition of a Grampian condition) may be the only proper course."

Both Anglian Water and the Environment Agency agree the system cannot take more.

• Anglian Water have formally objected, confirming the Latchingdon Water Recycling Centre is already overcapacity and that "any additional flow poses an unacceptable risk of pollution and environmental harm."They warn no upgrades are funded until at least 2030 and say it is not appropriate to rely on planning conditions. Instead, they recommend refusal.
• The Environment Agency also object, saying the Flood Risk Assessment is incomplete and that the site lies partly within Flood Zones 3b, 3a and 2, which are classed as high-probability flood zones. They note the development is classed as "more vulnerable" under national policy, and therefore unsafe.

There are also serious concerns about education and healthcare provision. Local consultee responses confirm that schools are already at or over capacity: Christchurch CE Primary in Latchingdon is full in some year groups and cannot be expanded, and secondary schools Ormiston Rivers and William de Ferrers are already at their admission limits.

The NHS has also warned that the development would place an unsustainable burden on local GP services. Planning officers propose to collect money through a Section 106 legal agreement, but residents point out that funding alone does not create extra school places or doctors where there is no physical space or plan for expansion.

Even the newest scheme in the village, Sunmead (spring 2024), has run into serious problems. Residents say homes remain unoccupied because drainage and utility issues are still unresolved.

The decision will be made on Wednesday 3rd September at Maldon District Council. Residents are calling on Maldon Council to take responsibility and listen to expert objections, not override them with conditions.