A garden centre in Little Chesterford could be demolished and replaced with a housing estate, according to new plans submitted to a local council.

Seven detached family homes could be built in place of Springwell Nursery in Walden Road, if Uttlesford District Council approves the application.

The applicant is listed as a “Mr Richardson” on the council’s planning website. Full planning permission is being sought for energy-efficient Passivhaus homes.

The statement says the site is considered brownfield and argues the scheme would make use of an “unsightly” area by providing “eco-friendly” houses.

A section read: “Sustainability is key with this site, and acknowledging the site’s location away from services, we strongly feel that on balance with the wider aspects of sustainability this application goes above and beyond to offset the reliance on private vehicle usage (whilst promoting the more sustainable use of electric vehicles).

“This high-quality, sustainable proposal is offered on this site to provide a contribution to the local lacking housing stock in the Uttlesford District who have a history of not delivering on their housing targets, and not providing enough homes in the area.”

But a neighbour of the garden centre has objected to the proposals, raising concerns over potential flooding and traffic issues.

A section read: “Up to 21 motorists going to work, meeting walkers with their dogs or children do not mix. To widen the access it would be necessary to demolish a grade two listed wall, or the culvert and part of the ditch would have to be covered.

“This ditch receives water from drainage of over 100 hectares of farm land. If covered over, any obstruction, such as a blocked pipe, could cause severe flooding to the B184 or Wakefield Farmhouse during heavy rainfall.”

According to the statement, most of the site is in Environment Agency flood zone one, but a small part of it falls into flood zone three, the highest risk area. No houses will be built in this south-westerly area, the statement says.

There have been two previous applications for houses at the site, one in 2013 and one in 2021, both of which were refused.

This latest application seeks to address some of the reasons for refusal, according to the statement. These include concerns over harm to the countryside and flood risks. The statement continues to note that Uttlesford District Council still does not have an up to date local plan.

A section read: “The public views into the site are well screened by mature hedging, so to claim that it would have a harmful impact from publicly accessible views is unjustified.”

In addition to the houses, the application is seeking permission for the demolition of the existing nursery site and new access onto Walden Road.