MERSEA Island residents say developers must believe they can walk on water after they said it was just four miles to the village of Tollesbury.

City & County wants to build 201 homes and commercial buildings on land at Brierley Paddocks in West Mersea.

The developers have said a piece of land could be sold and used to build a doctor’s surgery.

West Mersea Surgery, which serves the island, is now oversubscribed.

But residents say they are dismayed after a document suggested people moving into the homes could instead travel to Tollesbury or Brightlingsea.

The document suggests the Tollesbury Practice is just 4.4 miles from the application site, while the Colne Medical Centre is 5.4 miles away.

But new patients would actually have to travel ten miles by car to Tollesbury and 17.8 miles to Brightlingsea - unless they go as the crow flies across water.

One comment, submitted to the council, said: “The investigations that have taken place are incorrect. The doctor’s surgery is oversubscribed, the nearest surgeries in your study are beyond moronic.

“Does the person who carried out this study not take into account roads when deciding where the nearest surgeries are?

“Tollesbury is probably 4.4 miles away if you draw a straight line between the two but unfortunately there is a fair bit of sea in between and without access to a boat, it’s going to be a long journey.”

Gazette:

Another comment added: “The transport assessment makes no mention of the fact Mersea is a tidal island and is regularly isolated from the mainland by the closure of the Strood causeway at high tides.”

Emma Ousbey, planning manager at City & Country, said: “Whilst we always respect the views of local people, it is important to note the data within the application regarding surgery use does not state West Mersea’s surgery is no longer accepting patients.

“It states West Mersea Surgery confirmed it was oversubscribed, however, it was accepting new patients as of May 2018 and that is still the case.

Recognising this, our planning application includes dedicated space for land that could be used as a new health centre or GP surgery.

“Distances have indeed been calculated in a straight line. This is standard practice when using NHS information in this manner and is well understood by local authorities.”

“It is inaccurate to imply the island is cut off daily due to high tides. When high tides are expected to cover the Strood causeway there is a tide-timetable available for residents to plan their movements.”

“When required, existing arrangements are already in place to respond to emergency situations, with invaluable support provided by community first responders, the fire service, RNLI lifeboat and the air ambulance.”

Rowhedge residents demonstrated their ire at plans to move their nearest pharmacy to Wivenhoe in 2008 by swimming across the River Colne to demonstrate the most direct route.