Join the fight against Chelmsford City Council’s Local Plan
Featured Article · This Week’s Insight
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Biodiversity Net Gain
Biodiversity Net Gain: a look at this emerging policy A Policy with Promise — and Pitfalls Biodiversity Net Gain (known as BNG) is an emerging policy and a system now legally required in England for most new developments. While BNG has been heralded by developers and environmentalists alike as a progressive planning tool, it would…
Why we are Fighting Back
Once it’s gone – it’s gone forever
Chelmsford City Council’s Local Plan threatens to erase hundreds of acres of green fields, countryside, and historic landscapes around Sandon, Little Baddow, and the Chelmer Valley.
This isn’t just about housing. It’s about:
- 🛣️ Unmodelled traffic and gridlock on country lanes
- 🌳 Irreplaceable loss of agricultural land and wildlife habitat
- 💧 Increased flood risk from overdevelopment
- 🏛️ Historic villages facing irreversible urbanisation
We believe in thoughtful, sustainable planning — not speculative sprawl with no clear infrastructure.
What Chelmsford’s Plan Really Means
Chelmsford’s Local Plan promises growth and “garden communities” — but hides the real cost. From farmland destruction to fantasy transport claims, the Hammonds Farm proposal puts countryside, heritage, and flood safety at risk. It’s not sustainable. It’s not sound. And it must be stopped.
Uncover the Full Story
Truth Behind the Plan: 1. Floodplain Fiasco – Why Hammonds Farm Is a Dangerous Mistake
Hammonds Farm lies in a floodplain and faces risk from both rivers and reservoir failure. So why is Chelmsford City Council still planning to build 3,000 homes there?
Truth Behind the Plan: 2. A Landscape Under Threat – How Hammonds Farm Damages the Chelmer Valley
Hammonds Farm would devastate the rural landscape of Sandon, Little Baddow and the Chelmer Valley. The Council’s own evidence says this land should not be built on.
Truth Behind the Plan: 3. Traffic Chaos Incoming – Why Our Roads Can’t Cope
3,000 homes, a business park, and no guaranteed A12 upgrades? Chelmsford’s plan will bring traffic gridlock to Sandon, Boreham, Little Baddow and Danbury.
Truth Behind the Plan: 4. Heritage at Risk – How Hammonds Farm Threatens Our Historic Identity
From St Andrew’s Church to the Chelmer Navigation, the Hammonds Farm site threatens heritage assets that define our local history and landscape.
Truth Behind the Plan: 5. Wildlife at Risk – What We’ll Lose if Hammonds Farm Goes Ahead
Hedgerows, bats, barn owls, and biodiversity corridors face destruction if Chelmsford allocates Hammonds Farm. Nature cannot be offset with token planting.
Truth Behind the Plan: 6. Community Voice Ignored – Why Our Parish Plans Matter
Danbury’s Neighbourhood Plan, Sandon’s Village Statement, and Little Baddow’s consultation efforts were all sidelined. This isn’t planning — it’s imposition.
Truth Behind the Plan: 7. Broken Promises – The Duty to Cooperate Failure
Chelmsford failed to consult key authorities like Maldon and Natural England. The Local Plan may be legally unsound as a result — and it shows.
Truth Behind the Plan: 8. Planning for Profit – Developers Over Communities
The truth behind Hammonds Farm? Private landowners and developers stand to profit while infrastructure is unfunded and communities are ignored.