Mell Road Planning Application: A Community Alternative
Community-led sustainability project
Back in March 2026, Tollesbury Climate Partnership (TCP) wrote to the Parish Council setting out our concerns about Gladman’s planning application for land to the rear of 6 -108 Mell Road (application 22/00066/OUTM).
At the time, we also wanted to put forward a positive alternative: rather than seeing this land developed as a large housing estate, could it become the centre of a community-led sustainability project for Tollesbury?
Now, six months later, Gladman are back and Maldon District Council is set to make a decision on the application tonight, Wednesday 2 September.
We therefore felt it was important to revisit the ideas we put forward in our original letter.
A different vision for the site
For several years, TCP has had a vision for a Community Market Garden in Tollesbury for growing fresh, locally produced food while bringing people together, creating opportunities for volunteering and learning, and helping make our village more resilient and sustainable.
We believe the land behind Mell Road could be an ideal location. Its central position, size and relatively lighter soil make it particularly suited to growing a range of crops.
But our vision goes beyond food growing. The site could potentially support a community energy project, helping to generate income to sustain the market garden, alongside a small number of low-carbon, genuinely affordable homes developed in partnership with a proposed Tollesbury Community Land Trust.
Together, these elements could create something genuinely special: community food production, renewable energy and affordable housing in one community-led project.
Why does this matter now?
Since we wrote our letter in March, the Government’s updated Land Use Framework for England has been published. It places greater emphasis on sustainable food production, protecting valuable agricultural land, giving communities a greater say in the stewardship of their local landscapes, and ensuring that land use delivers multiple benefits.
We believe these principles are highly relevant to the decision facing Maldon District Council tonight.
Rather than permanently losing this land to a large housing development, there is an opportunity to think differently about what it could contribute to Tollesbury over the long term.
TCP has already demonstrated its ability to bring together grant funding, community investment and donations to deliver ambitious local projects. We would welcome the opportunity to work with the landowner, Parish Council and a future Community Land Trust to explore whether a community-led scheme could be made a reality.
The land behind Mell Road could become more than just another housing development. It could become a place where Tollesbury grows food, generates clean energy, supports affordable housing and brings the community together.
With the planning application now back before Maldon District Council, we believe this vision deserves to be part of the conversation.
Please click on the following link to read our original letter to the Parish Council from March 2026: