Hackmans Lane runs through Cock Clarks, a small rural hamlet in the parish of Purleigh, surrounded by the Maldon countryside. This site fronts the lane, with homes to the north and south, open farmland to the east and mature hedgerows all around. Two pretty listed cottages sit nearby, and the scheme has been shaped to sit happily alongside them.

Eight zero-carbon, three-bedroom family homes are planned as four semi-detached pairs, echoing the cottages across the lane. Each sits behind a modest front garden, with traditional Essex details such as handmade brick or render, clay tile or slate roofs and classic window proportions. All the boundary trees and hedgerows are kept, with a five-metre planted strip along the eastern edge.

The homes are designed to be exceptionally efficient, with solar panels and battery storage, air source heat pumps, electric vehicle charging, sun-facing layouts and a dedicated space for working from home. Green roofs on outbuildings, living walls, hedgehog highways, bird boxes and bee towers give local wildlife a real boost.

The scheme also funds a new accessible community bus service, linking Cock Clarks and Hazeleigh to Maldon town centre, Broomfield Hospital, Sandon Park and Ride and onward rail connections, with a new bus shelter outside the site. Maldon's Georgian high street, the Blackwater estuary and Danbury are a short drive away, with the A12 and Chelmsford station within easy reach.

Plans have been submitted and are currently awaiting a planning decision.

Eight zero-carbon family homes and a new village bus service in a quiet corner of Essex.