The voice of residents can change what planners and builders can do and how new communities are formed. Challenge and consultation help us all. With that in mind Councillors representing Colchester, Tendring and Essex met again recently to discuss at length the importance of community involvement in the proposed Garden Community on the borders of Tendring and Colchester. And, I am pleased to say that we have now published our Engagement and Consultation Strategy. You can read it here.
This strategy outlines how local people can get involved in helping shape ideas for the Tendring/Colchester Borders Garden Community over the next couple of years. In it we commit to making our engagement process easy, interesting, creative and free from complicated planning terminology. We hope that many people will share their ideas with us. Please keep a look out for more on this in the New Year.
In this meeting we also discussed how the Garden Community project might best be governed by the local Councils and how we can best deliver for current and future residents, working with developers and listening to local people. This is a very crucial consideration, which will take time and further conversations with other partners to develop. We will keep you updated on this.
It was over 100 years ago that the idea of ‘Garden Cities’ was founded by Sir Ebenezer Howard. Based on a set of key principles, the concept for such developments has now been adopted for new communities all over the world, from the UK to the USA and New Zealand.
One of the things that marks out a Garden Community is ‘stewardship’. This principle is part of our own Garden Communities Charter and over the next couple of years we will be developing a long-term vision for stewardship for the Tendring/Colchester Borders Garden Community.
When we talk about stewardship we mean, in simple terms, that the long–term development and management of the Garden Community and its community assets will be achieved with the direct involvement of its residents, forever.
I look forward to our engagement activities in the New Year, and for now, I’d like to wish you all a happy, restful and safe Christmas.
Cllr David King, Portfolio Holder for Business and Resources at Colchester Borough Council
Colchester Representative for the Tendring/Colchester Borders Garden Community Member Group