One of the planning conditions imposed by Braintree District Council was that the developers of the Gimsons site provide a construction management plan.
They have now provided this, in which they propose to close the footpath from the River Walk to the town park for a period of up to three years.
They appear to have conveniently overlooked the fact that the path is registered as a Public Right of Way and as such can only be diverted or closed by a Legal Order.
Such orders are made mainly under Section 257 of the Town and County Planning Act 1990. These orders are subject to a full public consultation process and follow a separate application process to that required for planning consent.