The Garden Community - Tendring and Colchester
A visionary project, redefining what a new community should be for the changing climate we live in, whilst retaining the principles of established, successful and thriving communities.
An exciting new community everybody can be proud of
A new benchmark for sustainable, inclusive living
We recently submitted our hybrid planning application for the Colchester Borders Garden Community, a project designed to set a new standard in sustainable, inclusive living across Essex and the UK.
Unlike traditional large-scale developments led by housebuilders, we're taking on the role of Master Developer. This means we'll be the long-term custodians of Colchester Borders Garden Community, responsible for planning, quality standards, infrastructure, and housing delivery.
An overview of Colchester Borders Garden Community
- 7,750 new homes
- 30% affordable tenure
- 3 connected neighbourhoods
- 6,000+ jobs
- 51% open space, including a new country park
Infrastructure that works for everyone
Our application includes extensive infrastructure alongside the new homes, such as new primary and secondary schools, healthcare facilities, community facilities, neighbourhood centres, and public transport infrastructure.
We've made sure that there's lots of opportunity for residents to be active within the community, via a wide network of walking and cycling routes. We’re also planning significant green spaces, such as a new country park, sports and play areas, protected bird habitats, and biodiversity enhancements.
Utilities will include high-speed internet and sustainable energy systems that aim to help keep household bills low.
At a glance: What we plan to deliver
- 1 secondary school
- 4 primary schools
- 2 health hubs
- 1 civic centre
- 3 neighbourhood centres
- 4 mobility hubs
Designing a community to be proud of
We spent four years talking with local residents, stakeholders, and young people about what they want and need from a new community. From this, we've designed a truly welcoming, people-focused space.
As well as car-free streets to a safe space for active living, all homes will be arranged in 'clusters' sharing amenities. We'll limit these clusters to around 150 people, ensuring neighbours can get to know each other.
Putting local people and projects first
We're proud to have already invested £250,000 in local organisations, including Greenstead Community Supermarket, Tendring Community Transport, and Robin Cancer Trust.
We're also pleased to be able to support several youth-focused initiatives, such as the construction training courses and Schools Design Challenge. Over 450 young people have helped to shape the future of their community here already.
Alongside this, our plans prioritise nature initiatives by retaining over 30km of existing mature hedgerow and proposing around 1,800 new trees. This is to help encourage green spaces and ecological areas to thrive, and supports wellbeing, biodiversity, and sustainability across the entire community.
Keep updated
Colchester Borders Garden Community is a long-running project, with a variety of exciting phases ahead. Be sure to keep up to date with its progress.
Connect is a business working on behalf of Clarion Housing Group to collect information relating to The Garden Community development proposals.
Who else is behind the project?
Working alongside Latimer by Clarion Housing Group and Mersea Homes is MATT+FIONA.
This award-winning social enterprise asks young people how their built environment might be improved and empower them to bring that vision to life through their work, BUILD, LEARN, CONNECT.
Our engagement team also includes Community Voluntary Services Tendring, Grounded design team, Clarion Futures and more.