Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community will be built on a 1,000-acre site to the east of Colchester and will have an estimated development value of around £3bn.

Latimer will work together with local private house builder Mersea Homes alongside Colchester Borough Council, Tendring District Council and Essex County Council to bring forward the major new community plan.

The proposals include 30% affordable housing and a Country Park, commercial space and primary and secondary school facilities.

A new rapid transit system and improved cycling infrastructure will enable easy access to Colchester and beyond, with a link road also joining up the A133 and A120 and connecting to the community.

In 2020/21, Clarion Housing Group completed 2,126 new homes of which 90% were for affordable tenures. Any profits from Latimer schemes are reinvested into Clarion Housing Group to build more affordable homes, improve and maintain existing homes and support communities through the Group’s charitable foundation, Clarion Futures.

Richard Cook, Group Director of Development at Clarion Housing Group, said: “We’re excited to be working with Mersea Homes and the combined authorities to develop this innovative and sustainable garden community, providing thousands of much-needed affordable homes and employment opportunities over the next 30 years.

“Placemaking is at the heart of what we do at Latimer, and this project presents an opportunity for us to set a new standard for the delivery of affordable and private homes, community facilities and employment opportunities whilst improving connectivity in the North Essex area.”