Submission of a Green Belt and Landscape Evidence review for Dunton Hills Garden Village. The SA assesses more land than needed for the Garden Village; DHGV can be delivered to respect the landscape and distinctive features,
incorporating measures that would help to mitigate the negative impacts of existing transport infrastructure, whilst strengthening the degraded landscape structure through enhancement of boundaries. This accords with published management guidelines for the Horndon Fenland asset-out in the Mid Essex Landscape Character Assessment that forms part of the Local Plan evidence base; and DHGV has the potential to be delivered as a landscape-led scheme that responds to the topography of the site, provides substantial areas of green infrastructure incorporating accessible multifunctional green space and landscape planting that respects the local character. The containment of the site by the A127, A128 and railway line provide existing robust Green Belt boundaries. Tying-in with the landscape proposals, the eastern boundary can be enhanced with woodland, trees, hedgerows and landscape buffers to provide a robust and defensible new Green Belt boundary that forms a soft transition with the countryside to the east and limits intervisibility with Basildon and West Horndon.