West Braintree pre-development site re-visit

A summer revisit to the landscapes in and around the 'West Braintree' new town proposal [one of the three North Essex Garden Communities]. Of the three proposals, West Braintree is arguably the most rural, as it is the most isolated from nearby towns, with minimal local population density, no rail connections, rural vernacular architecture, and an almost entirely agricultural landscape - as far as Essex goes, this is the middle of no-where. On one hand this settlement will have the least quantitative impact on existing local residents as few people live nearby. On the other hand, this settlement will the more culturally disruptive, compared to Marks Tey and Wivenhoe, particularly to nearby villages Finchingfield, Great Bardfield etc. nationally famous for their rural aesthetic.

A120 Corridor: Three large new settlements are currently under proposition in North Essex, partially due to the infrastructural value of this route to Stanstead Airport, London, and the M11

Rural lifestyles and landscapes are under threat from undefined proposals for West Braintree

Local recreational landscape: Great Sailing Airfield

A haggard activist sign illustrating the length of the conflict between residents and the councils.

Woodlands Park, Dunmow: Commodities ready to be consumed, not homes.

On my trip back to Cambridge, I spotted this advertisement board for new suburban homes in Dunmow, proudly yet somewhat desperately advertising ‘ONLY 5% DEPOSIT REQUIRED’. The sign is peculiarly illustrated with capitalistic bright red sale labels, as if the properties are commodities ready to be consumed, rather than homes - this is a long way from Disneyland.