In an article in the Standard (May 10)/Gazette (May 6), Mark Taylor of Aquatronic Group Management, detailed proposed plans to develop a 32 company business park in the heart of Copford ("Ambitious firm plans to build £6m business park").

He states "there was a high demand for office space out of town" because many offices in the town have been converted into flats.

Surely this indicates that if there is no demand for small office space in Colchester town there is no demand for it in Copford.

Indeed, there is 15,000 sq ft of office space in Marks Tey that is still empty despite being on the market for the past 18 months (the old Food Company building).

This proposed development in Copford is purely speculative - and it is interesting the plans submitted to Colchester Council for approval show a configuration in which the offices could readily be converted into two bed maisonettes.

The proposed development could potentially lead to a maximum of 450 staff working on the site.

Given the plans identify only 120 new on-site parking spaces this will mean London Road will become a car park for the site, which, together with the already present roadside parking by commuters using Marks Tey station, will lead to gridlock.

The plans also identifies only 50 to 60 vehicle movements to/from the site in peak periods. Given the potential for 400 staff on site that figure is clearly nonsense with the potential figure being nearer 180, which is equal to the number of staff parking spaces there will be on the new site.

This will undoubtedly exacerbate the potential for gridlock in London Road at peak times.

This is a company trying to make a quick killing by proposing a business park development for which there is no visible or known demand and with the suspicion that a change of use application will subsequently follow to develop the site into residential property.

Colchester Council should reject this speculative development.

Alan Beasley

London Road, Copford