DEVELOPERS are moving in to make bids on the Chequers Lane auction rooms. The empty site, which ceased trading on January 1, has attracted bids as large as £1.2 million and is being sold by the Welch family trust, which owns the building, to the highest b

DEVELOPERS are moving in to make bids on the Chequers Lane auction rooms.

The empty site, which ceased trading on January 1, has attracted bids as large as £1.2 million and is being sold by the Welch family trust, which owns the building, to the highest bidder.

The winning bidder will have to submit planning applications to construct any dwellings, which will be a big issue, comments Councillor Wendy Barron Vice Chairman of the Town Council planning committee.

She said: "I am dead against development on that site, every open space in the centre of town has been built on already, we need more open spaces."

She told The Broadcast that any planning application submitted to Dunmow Town Council is likely to be opposed on the grounds of overdevelopment.

"It wouldn't be so bad if proposals for just one or two houses were submitted, but they never are, developers just want to build as many as possible to maximise profit," she added.

Whether town councillors agree to or reject any forthcoming planning application, Uttlesford District Council will have the final say, Cllr Barron said, but she feared the district council would allow the development to go ahead.

"They would no doubt accept the application because they have in the past on similar town centre projects," she said.

The town council has already opposed plans to build eight houses with eight car parking spaces at Little Harmans yard on the corner of New Street and Highfields but Uttlesford granted permission, which will cause yet more chaos in the parking stakes, says Cllr Barron.

"Uttlesford councillors don't understand the needs of this town," she said.

"We have a constant theme of housing being built on car parking spaces, yet the town has a massive parking problem, especially on market days.