Mylander - Issue 83

7 Council Reports Planning & Highways Committee As Councillors, we are well aware of the problems facing both Myland and North Colchester as a whole, with increased house building and infrastructure that does not keep apace. Criticism is generally directed at the local or County Council, however, much of this building is Government-led and changes to planning policies have meant that there is not always an arguable ground against building. Our Council has a role in planning matters as we are a Statutory Consultee and must be consulted on all planning applicationswithin our area. TheMyland&BraiswickNeighbourhood Plan is a statutory document that planners must consult. We realise that negative comments or objections are not always beneficial to our community. Therefore, we try to look at the bigger picture to see what we can address and achieve by working with our colleagues at Borough and County level. We also work closely with the builders e.g. Severalls Hospital and Chesterwell and this has been beneficial to our community. We have, since its inception, supported the Northern Gateway Project in its entirety. One of the main benefits from this is the creation of Myland’s first Village Green (or Community Green) on the site of the current Mill Road Sports Field. We have been leading on this since 2014 and we are nearly there! By the time you read this article in May we should have signed the legal agreements with Colchester Borough Council on the handover of the green space. The Rugby and associated sports clubs will vacate the site in July 2020, and it was hoped that work would then commence on landscaping our new green. However, this will not now be the case and building work on the Central Walkway of the Southern site, which will run from the Via Urbis Romanae to Mill Road, will commence first - followed by the house building. This means that the Village or Community Green will not now be delivered until 2024. This is regrettable, but outside our control as a Council and is being done for commercial reasons. It is possible that parts of the green as it stands will be given over as a compound for the house building. Rest assured, however, that this project will remain a high priority for this Council and will be monitored closely. At the end of the day we want to ensure that Myland gets a properly landscaped green space and one which they deserve. Cllr John Stewart Chairman