Mersea is a small, beautiful island but overcrowded.

It would appear that like it or not we may now have our infrastructure stretched beyond its limits.

The proposal by the City and County Planning Company to build 200 new dwellings on Brierley Paddocks just off East Road is likely to mean 400 extra cars using East Road.

East Road is not fit for purpose it represents a clear and present danger to motorists, cyclists, mobility scooter users and pedestrians.

The new homes may result in 500 to 600 more people who will require medical services to be readily available.

Our local medical services are already stretched beyond their limits. The premises, doctors nurses, and supporting staff will simply not be able to cope, which could result in a very dangerous situation.

In order to comply with the 604/106 planning regulations the City & County Planning Company has offered green space a leisure area footpaths etc and it has also offered to allocate land for medical facility but I believe it has offered it a totally unacceptable price.

In my opinion it has only offered land for a medical facility so as to look good on a planning application. It does not seriously care about the medical needs of present or future Mersea residents.

We should not allow these companies to make large profits at our expense without giving us something practical and genuinely beneficial in return.

For example, make a genuine sensible offer regarding a medical centre, pay for East Road to be resurfaced and a roundabout at Dawes Lane, improve the Dawes Lane carriageway or put a roundabout in at Mill Road and East Road junction.

There is so many things it could afford to do which would benefit Mersea if it wanted to, or if it was made a planning condition - which it should be.

P J Richardson

Hogarth Close, West Mersea