Proposals for a new training, skills and employment facility for young adults with additional needs – along with housing to fund the development – have been given the go-ahead by councillors.
Tendring District Council’s (TDC) Planning Committee last night (Monday, 27 November) resolved to grant planning permission for the Market Fields Grows development in Elmstead Market – pending the completion of a legal agreement and consultation with the Secretary of State.
Alongside the Market Field Grows centre, the housing element of the scheme will see 126 new homes built on Clacton Road in the village – 86 to the north and 40 to the south.
The development also provides for a commercial building and a public car park, to sit between the housing and training centre on the northern side of Clacton Road.
The scheme was brought forward jointly by Lanswood – which runs a business centre adjacent to part of the proposed site – and Market Field Grows.
Market Field Grows is a charity which developed out of Market Field School in the village, which provides secondary-age SEN (Special Educational Needs) provision for Tendring. The initiative aims to provide ongoing skills and training for students once they leave secondary education, enabling them to get a job, and the project highlights a lack of support for SEN school leavers.
The committee heard that while the planned development did not comply with the council’s Local Plan for the area, the significant material benefits of the new facility outweighed the drawbacks of departing from those policies – with the housing required to fund the Market Field Grows facility which would otherwise not be economically viable.
Aside from the education, skills and employment benefits, an on-site library will be open to the public in perpetuity, and a community event space available for hire. The training facility plans to include a plant nursery, bakery and café, and a store selling goods made or grown on site, while other benefits include a new pedestrian crossing
During public consultation many comments were received supporting the application, while some local residents objected to the development outside of the settlement boundary – citing concerns including sustainability and access. Elmstead Market Parish Council gave a neutral response, broadly supporting the Market Field Grows proposals but opposing the housing development.
Maria Fowler, Chairman of the Planning Committee, said it was a finely balanced decision.
“Having heard and considered all of the representations, visited the site, and deliberated on the planned development, the committee felt that on balance this scheme provides more material benefits to the local and wider community than drawbacks – acknowledging the deviation from the Local Plan and recognising the substantial material benefits,” Councillor Fowler said.
“We understand the concerns raised; but the Market Field Grows facility is something much needed to support so many young people in Tendring, and this combines the other community benefits. The housing component, essential for funding the facility and ensuring its viability for development, played a crucial role in this assessment.”
