Planning community

Off Magdalen Street, to the north, you can find an attempt (one of many in Colchester) to create a mature urban community from scratch. It has the advantage of being on the brow of a hill, providing views over the green valley which takes the railway and the river (and the beyond to the country park). Is Colchester unique (in Essex, at least) in having these surprising areas of green at the centre of a rapidly growing, busy town? Their random and surprise nature privides interest and charm to the built environment. But they are clearly at risk: from neglect, or the pressure to build in and around them in ways that will destroy their value and charm.