LAWFORD TYE ACTION GROUP

One of the most influential elements considered by planners is the strength of local feeling towards any proposed development. So it is vitally important that we gain as much support as possible in our opposition to this speculative development.

  

Tendring District Council (TDC) was going to decide whether to approve the application by 20 July 2026 - Welbeck had since needed an extension to do their surveys correctly! The revised date for TDC to decide is now 12 October 2026. If TDC decides YES, 95 houses will be built: if NO, Welbeck can Appeal that decision If it goes to Appeal, we residents can Object again. We are recording the number of people using the site on 6 full days so we have this evidence for a possible Appeal. LAWFORD TYE ACTION GROUP says “We will Object again if we need to.”   Please continue to follow this website and the website for further advice and assistance.  Lawford Tye Action Group is likely to need further community support to strengthen the campaign.   

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There were 663 Objections to Welbeck’s application to build 95 houses submitted – the most Objections there have ever been in Tendring for which Lawford Field - and Lawford Tye Action Group are extremely grateful.     Objections can still be  submitted to on the TDC Planning Portal should anyone wish to add comments about the application and the extension Here 

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The number of objections submitted is important.  Each person in your household who supports the campaign should send their own objection - this will be more powerful than a joint submission.​​​   Any age of person can object; children, teenagers and adults.  Objections are not limited to the local residents, so friends and family living further away are can lodge an objection and help try and save Lawford Tye Field.

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• You can object online or by Email, or by post.    Email appears to be the easier than using the portal.   Go to https://www.tendringdc.gov.uk/content/view-planning-applications-and-comment   

• Make sure you include your name, address and the Planning Application Number which is 26/00627/OUT

• Email objections to: dcadmin.planning@tendringdc.gov.uk 

• Send postal objections to Planning Department, Tendring District Council, Town Hall, Station Road, Clacton on Sea CO15 1SE

 

​You need to choose good Planning Reasons for your objection - the main reasons are:

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Loss of the rural character of our area​

Rural Character’ means areas characterised by low population densities, open agricultural land and space for nature.   It does not mean, urban sprawl on green belt land. A large development on a green field and unsightly yellow lines down both sides of a small country lane will most definitely result in a loss of rural character.

 

Loss of valued green space

Green spaces are essential to our community's health and happiness. Research consistently shows that access to nature reduces stress, supports mental wellbeing, and encourages the physical activity that keeps us healthy. These precious pockets of natural land also serve as vital corridors for wildlife, supporting the insects, birds, and plants that form the delicate web of local biodiversity. Once lost to development, green space cannot be replaced - it will be lost for future generations.

 

Inadequate sewage capacity 

Anglian Water states that capacity for sewage at Manningtree cannot accommodate this development. This will result in a risk of flooding, discharge of untreated waste, unacceptable pollution risks, environmental harm and risks to public health. Welbeck's proposal for an onsite pumping station, temporary removal of foul waste by tanker and expectation of future upgrades by Anglian Water demonstrate how inadequate and unsustainable this drainage strategy is.

 

Threats to biodiversity both on Lawford Tye Field and on the Stour Estuary

From the point of view of wildlife and biodiversity, Tye Field is important 16.4 acres of rich grassland habitat which supports a wide range of wild plants and animals and which local people interested in wildlife and the countryside have valued for many years. There are not many grasslands like this around here in amongst the arable which lies beyond. Just look at Tye Field now in May – covered in bright yellow dandelions, buttercups and other flowering plants; look closer and you will see a wide range of grasses – even lots of Sweet Vernal Grass which gives the superb smell of a quality hay meadow. This wide range of plants are the basis of the food web: a diverse range of insects are feeding on those plants, for example the caterpillars of over 200 moth species which local naturalists have recorded at Tye Field, including several priority species like the Lunar Yellow Underwing which featured in the last planning inquiry as a species that must be protected. Skylarks are singing high above – an example of the birds dependent on plants, however there are many other bird species dependent on those moth caterpillars and other insects like the Song Thrush which has built its nest in the hedge on the southern boundary. Voles are numerous, themselves dependent on the plants, and they in turn support the Barn Owls which are quartering the grassland in the evening. And at that time, you will see several bats like Pipistrelles and the large Noctule – all recorded there. Lizards, Slow worms and Grass Snakes are all seen.

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Strange that Welbeck only recorded one Lizard in their studies. Welbeck say that they will build 95 houses on 8.9 acres and reduce the green space to 7.5 acres but, by their calculations, MORE wildlife, not less, will survive on this reduced area. This they call “Biodiversity Net Gain” BNG for short. So how can Welbeck conclude this – we are checking their calculations – it appears that, on the basis of a visit in the middle of winter, they found few flowering plants and classed the grassland as “Modified – Poor Condition” - not a problem to build on it. When we know – as described above - that it is a good area of grassland and hedgerow for wildlife – and for people seeing wildlife.

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If more than half of Tye Field is built over, its wildlife will be depleted and difficult to replace. If you care about protecting local nature, please question Welbeck’s biodiversity calculations, object to their Planning Application which does not justify the permanent loss of this habitat.

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Harm to Tye Henge, a Scheduled Ancient Monument

We, the present day residents of Lawford, are extremely privileged to share our home with a precious rare Scheduled Ancient Monument, built by our Stone Age ancestors who lived, farmed, traded and held rituals here 4-5000 years ago.  They chose what we now know as Lawford Tye Field, the highest point on the Tendring peninsula, as the location for a circular timber henge. This was of a similar time and significance to Stonehenge but, as no stone was used, it did not survive as a visible monument. However, it is still just visible as a crop circle, and excavations 60 years ago revealed the structure, and a treasure trove of thousands of flint tools, pieces of decorated pottery and other artefacts.

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One of the most important features of this monument is its setting in the wider landscape, and how this relates to its possible purposes, much of which is still a mystery. This is why we must fight against Welbeck’s application for 95 dwellings so near to it.

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Increased traffic due to building more houses and substations

This housing development would be highly car dependent resulting in hundreds of extra vehicles using our roads that are already under pressure. Well evidenced negative consequences for air quality, noise levels, community health and the increase risk of accidents make this proposal unsustainable. Our local infrastructure is already at or near its limits, and this development will push essential services beyond what they were designed to sustain. Traffic of this scale, once established, does not simply go away, and any planning decision that ignores this cumulative strain does so at the expense of every existing resident.

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Housing density

This development would force an urban estate and an apartment block into one of Lawford’s last rural edges. Even without a density figure from the developer, the plans show a level of building more than twice as dense as the surrounding homes. It’s an unnecessary and harmful intensification that would permanently change the character of Grange Road.  For comparison housing density proposed by Wellbeck is 12 dwellings per acre (dpa).  Compared with Lawford Green which is 9 dpa and the bungalows in School Lane 5.4dpa.

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Proposal to build outside the Development Boundary

This purely speculative proposal is outside the Lawford’s development boundaries; it has not gone through the strict evaluation process of other sites within its boundary, and therefore conflicts with the Sustainable Places Policy SPL2 and SPL3 of the Tendring Local Plan 2013-2033.  It will add nothing to our already overstretched services in our community, and it will erode the rural lane character for good.   SPL3 says; “ New development should be compatible with surrounding uses and minimise any adverse environmental impacts” which clearly, in this case, can not be mitigated.

 

The Local Plan process of choosing suitable sites is long, thorough, and meticulous; it provides scoring reasons why sites are not included in any particular locations Development Boundaries. Lawford Tye is not suitable on many, many fronts, and that’s why it was not included in the current plan, nor it is proposed to be included in the emerging version that has just gone through a six-weeks consultation, where Lawford Parish Council suggested that Lawford Tye field should be given a protected status because of its special characteristics.  

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Similar application turned down at appeal in 2019

Although new housing can offer benefits such as affordable homes, the fundamental ecological, landscaping, and heritage risks that led to the previous Gladman scheme being refused remain unresolved. This land was found to be unsuitable for large-scale development following a legal battle that concluded in 2020, when the High Court refused the developer permission to challenge the Planning Inspector's decision. Welbeck’s revised proposal for 95 dwellings continues to threaten our local landscape. By stopping this development, we can ensure that past legal rulings are respected and that future growth is channelled into more sustainable, appropriate areas of Lawford.

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Spreading the word. Talk to your friends and neighbours and tell them about the fight to save Lawford Tye Field and our campaign. · Join our mailing list by sending us an email to lawfordtyeactiongtoup@gmail.com or join our Facebook group:- Lawford Tye Action Group – NO to Grange Road development

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​If you have any specialist skills or knowledge such as in planning regulations or law, or if you would like to offer practical help such as leaflet distribution, please email us

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Donations for the campaign would be very welcome and any money raised would be used for media, materials or specialist advice and consultancy which would help us build a winning case against the development. Please donate using the button on this page.