Plans to sell Colchester beauty spot "kick in the teeth"
Plans to sell a beloved beauty spot, with the possibility of the site being used for housing, have been branded as a “kick in the teeth” and “insulting” by campaigners. The Ministry of Defence has received an offer for the sale of Middlewick Ranges in Colchester years after the government department announced plans to ‘dispose’ of it.
The furious members of Friends of Middlewick, say the plans are “just a relentless pursuit of profit over wildlife and people.” It comes as North Essex MP Sir Bernard Jenkin has written to Maria Eagle MP, minister for state, demanding action to save the site.
Earlier this year, Colchester Council voted to not include the site in its draft local plan, which includes 21,000 new homes for around two decades across the city, however the council does not have power to stop the sale of the site. Sir Bernard Jenkin, Tory MP for Harwich and North Essex, said: “We are not out of danger until it’s a designated conservation area or site of specific scientific interest, or designated wildlife reserve.
“I was astonished to learn Middlewick Ranges is at the centre of one of the largest, if not the largest congregation of Nightingales in the whole country. I am working with community groups to work out how best to approach Natural England and the responsible minister to advance protection for the site.”
Martin Pugh, from Friends of Middlewick, said: “Any talk of the sale of the site, and or development, is concerning and alarming. It is a kick in the teeth in the way the MOD is going against its own statutory obligations about responsibility to preserve it with very high wildlife value. They are reducing it down to monetary value on a spreadsheet. We were told this is about maximising money for the treasury.
“The feeling is, the MOD made an agreement, and despite all this evidence, it’s just a relentless pursuit of profit over wildlife and people. Even one home would be incredibly damaging, not one home could be built without irresponsible, catastrophic impact on the area. You cannot build on irreplaceable habitat without catastrophic impact. The MOD has bulldozed concerns and it feels like the MOD says it’s worth more to it sold than it is worth as a community asset. The MOD has dropped it and the community, it’s insulting and a kick in the teeth.”
An MOD spokesperson said: “The decision to dispose of Middlewick Ranges was announced in Parliament in 2016 as there was no longer a defence requirement for the site. We can confirm an offer has been made to purchase the site which is being considered.”
A spokesperson for Colchester Council said: “Protections for the site are currently provided through planning policy set out in the council’s adopted local plan. Should any development proposals come forward, they would be assessed against this framework, including consideration of environmental and community factors. The council does not hold additional powers beyond the planning system in this regard.
“A recent community-led request relating to the site’s status is being progressed in accordance with legal requirements, though this does not give the council any control over the site’s disposal.
“Earlier this year, councillors voted to remove the Middlewick Ranges allocation from the draft Local Plan Review, which is still under consideration and has not yet been formally consulted on or adopted. It is anticipated that the Local Plan Committee will consider the draft with a view to consultation, including the status of Middlewick, in November.”