The Only Way is Essex for Constable’s birthplace East Bergholt? Village proposes divorcing Suffolk to fight houses

The Hay Wain is an oil on canvas painting by John Constable. It was finished in 1821 and shows a hay wain near Flatford Mill on the River Stour in Suffolk, though because the Stour forms the border of two counties, it depicts Willy Lott's Cottage in Suffolk on the left bank and the Essex landscape on the right bank. (Image: Archant)

Developers are pushing to build 144 houses in East Bergholt, which sits in the Stour Valley landscape made famous by painter John Constable.

Prospect of Constable village East Bergholt joining Essex leads to intervention from council boss

Now the parish council are considering breaking free from Babergh District Council and joining Colchester Borough.

In the process Suffolk would lose the iconic sights of Flatford Mill and Willy Lott’s Cottage, both painted by Constable.

The view of Constable Country from East Bergholt. Picture: SU ANDERSON

The proposal was suggested at East Bergholt Parish Council’s annual meeting. Chairman Paul Ireland said: “It would be a wrench to leave Suffolk – but the decision we would have to make is whether it is better to be in Suffolk, and have a lot of houses built against our wishes, or to be in Essex and have better protection? We have a Colchester postcode and an Essex address already.”

Mr Ireland said he will ask the council to consider setting up a working party to explore whether joining Colchester Borough Council is possible.

“If you look at Dedham [in Essex] there are no ‘no to 144 houses’ signs. Colchester seem to place more value on protecting heritage assets,” he said, adding that the places painted by Constable should be protected from housing.

Babergh District, which includes Sudbury, has recently been judged to have less than five years of housing land supply. This means local planning control is overruled in presumption of national policy.

A new garden has been created at Willy Lotts cottage at Flatford Mill.

Peter Dent, chairman of the East Bergholt action group, said: “There’s such an ongoing battle with Babergh and the planning department there are 101 reasons [we should leave Babergh].

“Babergh are fully intent, I’m absolutely certain, on approving the applications being reheard for a second time. It’s been a constant war against the planning department for however long.

“[Moving to Colchester] might take time but so what? Colchester appears to have sympathy for areas of outstanding natural beauty and heritage sites.”

A spokesman for Babergh District said they do listen to the concerns of East Bergholt residents, as shown by their chief executive Arthur Charvonia attending the annual meeting.

Willy Lott's Cottage, captured by John Constable in his famous painting The Haywain, would be lost from Suffolk if the move goes ahead. Picture: GETTY IMAGES (Image: mike_gallagher)

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Could it really happen?

Villagers showing their anger at plans for 144 homes in East Bergholt. Picture: LUCY TAYLOR

Suffolk’s borders have remained largely unchanged for decades, with the last major movement in 1974 seeing six villages lost to Norfolk under the Local Government Act 1971.

Villages and indeed whole parishes and districts can be moved from one county to another by acts of parliament and Boundary Commission reviews.

The latest review will report in 2018. One of the most substantial changes is likely to see the Cambridgeshire villages of Melbourn, Bassingbourn and the Mordens become part Hertfordshire, and in the process changing their local planning authority

However, the key driver for the boundary changes is to reflect population changes and maintain equal parliamentary constituencies. The commission are unlikely to accept East Bergholt’s arguments over housing policy concerns.

John Constable, as painted by Daniel Gardner (Image: Archant)

In the 19th Century part of Newmarket was returned to Suffolk from Cambridgeshire, in the process reuniting the Suffolk village of Exning with the rest of the county. Exning spent decades surrounded by Cambridgeshire on all sides, despite being in Suffolk.