🏠 THE BROADWAY – PROPOSED 850 HOME DEVELOPMENT
Great Dunmow Town Council has OBJECTED — but the final decision has not been made.
Planning application UTT/26/1635/OP proposes up to 850 homes on land north and south of The Broadway — around 135 more homes than the 715 identified for the site in the adopted Local Plan.
The Town Council has considered the application and independent professional planning advice and has submitted an objection.
But residents must not be complacent.
⏰ WANT TO HAVE YOUR SAY? ACT NOW — SEE CONSULTATION DEADLINES BELOW
Great Dunmow Town Council does not decide this application. Uttlesford District Council does.
If you have concerns about the development, make your own views known to UDC. The Town Council’s objection does not replace individual representations from residents.
📢 TAKE ACTION
➡️ HAVE YOUR SAY ON THE PLANNING APPLICATION
➡️ READ WHY THE TOWN COUNCIL OBJECTED
➡️ READ THE INDEPENDENT PLANNING REPORT
➡️ CONTACT YOUR DISTRICT COUNCILLORS
Your voice still matters
Please do not assume that because the Town Council has objected, residents no longer need to take action.
The Town Council is a consultee. The final planning decision rests with Uttlesford District Council.
If you support or object to the application, submit your own comments and explain your reasons in your own words, focusing on the planning issues that matter to you.
You can also contact your Uttlesford District Councillors, who represent Great Dunmow at the authority responsible for determining the application. The Council’s resident information sheet provides the relevant contacts.
🏠 What is being proposed?
Planning application UTT/26/1635/OP seeks outline planning permission for a major development on land north and south of The Broadway, Great Dunmow.
The application proposes up to 850 new homes, together with land for a two-form-entry primary school, mixed-use local centre, sports pitches, public open space, landscaping, sustainable drainage and new vehicular access.
The site is already allocated for development in the recently adopted Uttlesford Local Plan. However, the Local Plan identifies approximately 715 homes for the site, while the current application seeks up to 850 homes — an additional 135 homes, or around 19% more.
📢 Town Council’s Response
Great Dunmow Town Council has considered the application and resolved to OBJECT to the development as currently proposed.
The Town Council is a statutory consultee and does not make the final decision on the application. The application will ultimately be determined by Uttlesford District Council, as the Local Planning Authority.
Given the scale and complexity of the application, and following significant concerns raised by residents, the Town Council commissioned independent professional planning advice to assist councillors in considering the application.
Councillors considered that advice alongside the application and other information available before determining the Town Council’s response.
📄 Read the Independent Planning Report
The Town Council commissioned an independent planning consultant to undertake a detailed assessment of the application.
The report considers four principal areas:
• The proposed increase from 715 to 850 homes
• Heritage and archaeology
• Schools, healthcare and other infrastructure
• Highways, traffic and sustainable transport
You can read the full independent report below.
❗ Why the Town Council Objected
The central issue is not whether this site should have housing. The site is already allocated for development.
The key question is whether the applicant has demonstrated that increasing the development from approximately 715 homes to up to 850 homes can be accommodated without unacceptable additional impacts.
The independent assessment raised concerns about whether the infrastructure, environmental and transport assumptions underpinning the Local Plan allocation remain appropriate for a development approximately 19% larger.
The Town Council’s objection therefore focuses on material planning considerations, particularly the scale of development, highways and transport, infrastructure, and heritage and archaeology.Skip to PDF content
🚗 Highways & Traffic Concerns
Highways and transport are a significant part of the Town Council’s concerns.
Great Dunmow has no railway station, and the report notes that many journeys from the development are likely to continue to rely on private vehicles. The development would remain heavily dependent upon existing routes including The Broadway, Church End and St Edmunds Lane, without a substantial new highway connection.
The report also raises concerns that:
- significant junction and highway modelling was still outstanding;
- the transport strategy assumes approximately a 10% reduction in car trips, but the report says there was no sensitivity testing showing what happens if that reduction is not achieved; and
- elements of the proposed bus services and mobility hub remained uncertain or subject to future arrangements.
The consultant concluded that it would be premature to reach a conclusion on the transport impacts until the outstanding Transport Assessment Addendum and associated modelling had been submitted and considered.
🏫 Schools, Healthcare & Infrastructure
The Town Council welcomes the principle of providing infrastructure alongside new housing. However, concerns have been raised about whether the infrastructure originally planned for approximately 715 homes is sufficient for up to 850.
Early Years
The applicant’s own assessment calculates that the development could generate demand for 102 early-years places.
The dedicated Early Years Centre proposed provides 56 places, potentially leaving 46 additional places to be accommodated elsewhere. The report states that additional provision within the primary school has been suggested but had not been quantified.
Healthcare
The development includes provision for a 1,400m² healthcare facility.
However, the report distinguishes between providing enough floorspace and demonstrating that healthcare services will actually be delivered and staffed. It notes existing pressure on local GP provision and calls for greater certainty over the delivery, occupation and operation of the proposed facility.
⛪ Heritage & Archaeology Concerns
The site is close to important historic assets, including the Grade I listed Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Conservation Areas and listed historic farmsteads.
The independent report raises concerns about the effect that development at the proposed scale could have upon their historic settings.
Importantly, the report says the applicant’s heritage assessment considers the effects of 850 homes, but does not provide a comparative assessment showing how those effects differ from development closer to the 715 homes identified in the Local Plan.
There are also archaeological concerns. Potential prehistoric and Romano-British features have been identified, but intrusive archaeological trial trenching had not taken place before the application was submitted.
💬 Have Your Say on the Application
Residents can still make their own views known.
Great Dunmow Town Council’s objection is not a substitute for individual representations from residents.
Uttlesford District Council is the Local Planning Authority and will make the final decision.
When commenting, residents should explain their own views and concentrate on material planning considerations relevant to the application.
Planning Application: UTT/26/1635/OP
Land North and South of The Broadway, Great Dunmow
➡️ COMMENT ON THE PLANNING APPLICATION
- 📞 Who Can I Contact? If you would like to raise concerns or questions about the application, you can contact your elected representatives or the planning officers dealing with the application.
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Your uploaded contacts sheet identifies the relevant Great Dunmow North and South District Councillors, temporary contacts covering the County Councillor’s responsibilities, the UDC case officer and senior planning officers.
Skip to PDF content➡️ VIEW USEFUL CONTACTS
⏰ Consultation Deadlines – When Do I Need to Respond?
If you want to comment on this application, we strongly encourage you to do so as soon as possible.
UDC’s planning information currently shows two dates:
12 August 2026 – Latest Consultation Expiry Date
This is the deadline the Town Council has worked to for its statutory consultation response.24 August 2026 – Neighbour Consultation Expiry Date
This relates to the neighbour notification process.⚠️ Residents: don’t wait
If you wish to make a representation and did not receive a neighbour consultation letter, we recommend submitting your comments by 12 August 2026.
Comments may still be accepted by UDC after the published consultation period, but residents should not rely on a late representation being considered.
➡️ SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS TO UDC NOW
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❓ Frequently Asked Questions
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