Land West Of Panfield Lane Braintree Essex Data via plota.co.uk

26/00029/NMA - Non Material Amendment Approved

Proposal

S96A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990: Non Material Amendment to the description of development of Ref. for Hybrid planning application for a mixed use development for up to 825 Residential Units, with part submitted in outline (with all matters reserved) and part submitted in detail, where: The Outline Component of the application seeks approval for: i. Up to 636 Residential Units (Use Class C3); ii. Up to 0.95ha of land for Business Use (Use Class B1, B2, B8); iii. Up to 2.38ha of land for the provision of a Neighbourhood Centre with possible uses including Retail, Commercial, Residential Care, Health, Veterinary and Crèche Uses (Use Classes A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, B1a, C2, D1a, D1b); iv. Up to 2ha of land for a Primary School; v. Up to 2.88ha of land for Community Sports Facilities; and vi. All associated open space, landscaping, parking, utilities, drainage and infrastructure The Detailed Component of the application seeks approval for: vii. 189 Residential Units (Use Class C3) including parking and utilities; viii. New link road between Panfield Lane and Springwood Drive and new roundabout at junction of Panfield Lane and Churchill Road. Amendment would allow:- 1) To omit the words 'Community' and 'Facilities' from: "v. Up to 2.88ha of land for Community Sports Facilities", due to the removal of the requirement to transfer the land to Braintree District Council and any occupancy restrictions related to the provision of the Sports land; and in lieu, the provision of an obligation for an off-site financial contribution for community sports purposes within the town of Braintree, pursuant to application Ref. 25/02388/S106A; and 2) to enable the listed Use Classes to be updated pursuant to the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2020. Data via plota.co.uk

View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

✓
Received
around 7 Jan 2026
✓
Approved
6 Jul 2026

Approved on 6 Jul 2026 · Delegated Decision · Last checked 10 Oct 2026

Associated applications 4

Site constraints 1

Agricultural land, grade 2
Best and most versatile land (grades 1, 2 and 3a). Source: the Predictive Agricultural Land Classification Map (Defra and Natural England, 2025; the Welsh Government's Predictive ALC Map 2 in Wales), a model rather than a site survey. Natural England's Provisional ALC map (1:250,000, 1970s), which most planning maps still show, had this area as grade 3. The predicted grade is Defra's current estimate; only a site survey settles it.
Where development of farmland is needed, policy prefers poorer land over the best and most versatile (grades 1, 2 and 3a). Three sources: Natural England's post-1988 field surveys, which are definitive where they exist; the Defra predictive map for England (2025) and the Welsh Government predictive map, modelled from the soil map with 3a and 3b split; and the 1970s provisional map, which planners and other services still show, coarser and with grade 3 undivided. Where the provisional and predicted grades disagree, treat the predicted grade as the current estimate and expect an application to carry its own survey.
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt · No listed building at the site

Checked on 19 October 2026. Historic England, the Environment Agency, Natural England and council datasets, Open Government Licence. A boundary can run through a site and the council holds the definitive record: confirm with the council before relying on this.

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Important details

Council
Braintree
Application type
Non Material Amendment
Postcode
CM7 5RU
Received
around 7 Jan 2026
Validated
7 Jan 2026
Ward
Bocking South
Parish
Braintree & Bocking
Case officer
Show
Target decision
4 Feb 2026
Decision
Application GRANTED
Decision date
6 Jul 2026
Decision level
Delegated Decision
Applicant
Show
Agent
Phase 2 Planning & Development Ltd

Consultation & key dates

Statutory expiry
4 Feb 2026
Env. assessment
No
Braintree
Planning Authority Score
7/10
Good
#61 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Householder decisions

Braintree is faster than most councils at deciding householder applications, ranking #47 out of 296. Householder applications are slightly more likely to be approved here (92%) than the national average (90%).

Faster than most councils
for householder decisions
These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
Braintree decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
86%
Overall approval rate
Below avg (87%) #189 of 296
92%
Householder approved
Above avg (90%) #148 of 296
78%
Decided in 8 weeks
Above avg (63%) #47 of 296
33%
Extended time limit
Below avg (41%) #71 of 296
62%
Minor dwellings approved
119 decided (1-9 homes)
87%
Major dwellings approved
15 decided (10+ homes)
91%
Change of use approved
11 decided
927
Total decisions
132 refused in the year to March 2026