| Conservatives Call for Withdrawal of the secret Marks Tey New Town Submission made to Government. |  |
Conservatives on Colchester City Council are calling for the Lib-Dem / Labour led Council to withdraw a secret "application of interest" made to the Government for a New Town at Marks Tey. Although made in December 2024, its existence was only revealed recently in a Freedom Of Information request.
Cllr Paul Dundas, (Tiptree Ward) Leader of the Conservative Group on the Council said “It is extraordinary that the Council could start a process which would result in a New Town of 50,000 people, in secret, with just a few people knowing about it. Furthermore, they state that Essex County Council and Braintree District Council support such an application, but it is far from clear that they do. If it is factually incorrect it needs to be withdrawn immediately.
“The Council has 51 Councillors, and it seems only one or two knew about this. It has never been discussed at the Local Plan Committee who oversee long term planning of the City, or at any other public meeting, and it seems even the senior Councillor in charge of Planning was either in the dark or not supportive."
"This is an absolutely appalling by-pass of democracy."
Conservatives demand that the proposal is immediately withdrawn. We further demand that it is discussed by the Council's Local Plan Committee. Finally, we want detailed scrutiny of how this decision came about in secret. The Full Council must be involved so each of the 51 Councillors can express whether they support the proposal, and where they stand on the matter.
2025-08-23
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