A WEBSITE asking residents to help shape plans for a 9,000 home new town on the border of Colchester and Tendring has been launched. The website encourages communities and stakeholders to share ideas for the new town, which will be built between Greenstead and Elmstead Market. Colchester, Tendring and Essex councils are working collectively on the plans and are drawing up a development plan document for the new town. This document will create a vision for the town, allocate land uses and detail core policies which will help determine future planning applications. Colchester Council’s business boss David King, who represents the authority on the Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community Member Group, said: “The Tendring Colchester Borders project is an ambitious and challenging one, to provide a place to live of quality, meeting the needs of residents now and in the future.
Asos confirmed a £265 million takeover of four Arcadia brands - Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge and HIIT. The move will see the online clothing giant take on 300 members of staff but all of the stores will close permanently, including Colchester’s Topshop, in Lion Walk Shopping Centre. The news is another big blow for Colchester town centre and follows hot on the heels of the announcement department shop Debenhams, in Culver Street West, will also close. Other retailers including the likes of Paperchase and Edinburgh Woollen Mill are also under threat. So we asked you which big names you would like to see coming to Colchester in the future.