Alumno Student Flat Scheme dead?

Cllr Darius Laws, Leader of the Conservative Group has been a long-standing critic of the Alumno student flat scheme in the town centre.

He reports on the current status.

A series of complex legal wranglings arose from the inept handling of this entire project by the previous Lib Dem & Labour controlled Council. But fortunately, Essex County Council has indicated it might buy the site so that it can be developed as a strategic part of the historic town centre.

Cllr Laws added: "The rainbow coalition council had a piecemeal approach to urban regeneration in the historic centre of Colchester. Their public consultation on the Alumno scheme was substandard and woefully inadequate.

I'm pleased Essex County Council is stepping in to ensure we have serious joined-up thinking on regeneration. We need a proper bus station, significant improvements to St Boltophs Circus and a coordinated approach to regeneration in Queens Street and in nearby sites in the heart of Colchester.

Firstsite is here to stay, and the land around it is a huge opportunity, especially given its strategic location next to the Colchester Town railway station. We need conversations around air space, about more people living in the town centre, about tackling air quality, about reducing congestion, more urban trees and make Colchester Roman's tourist opportunity the best it can be. This is a huge task and must never again be done piecemeal.

In coming months we will argue the imperative of taking a holistic approach to development in the Town Centre. Such an approach is essential to ensure it survives and thrives."

2022-08-12 07:19:46