Residents who won their battle to save a beauty spot in Maldon from development have said they have "big plans" to create a nature reserve on the land.

The site is a treasured piece of undeveloped land owned by Tesco between the River Blackwater and Chelmer Navigation, popular with nature enthusiasts, walkers and cyclists, but residents were shocked to see it up for sale in early 2020.

A crowdfunding page to raise money to buy the land and save it from development was set up by Ian Harden, who lives nearby, and quickly garnered support.

"We decided to do the GoFundMe to see if we could buy it, then lots of other people got involved," Ian said.

"It was never supposed to be sold but it was up for sale, so that's when we jumped in."

Despite generous donations, it did not look hopeful for Ian and his friends as it seemed unlikely the money they raised would come anywhere near the asking price of £1,500,000.

But this all changed when the group received answers to Freedom of Information requests earlier issued to Maldon District Council and Essex County Council.

Ian says the information ultimately confirmed that a 1989 planning agreement between the district council and county council was meant to have protected the land from development.

This prompted the residents to begin negotiations with Tesco, who agreed to let the site to a local not-for-profit community interest company (CIC) for a peppercorn rent.

The group created the Chelmer Blackwater Reserve CIC, which was issued at the end of January with a 100-year lease on the land.

"We wanted to save it and we managed to do that through the community interest company," Ian said.

The group has been awarded funding from the county council to create paths so the public can enjoy the site while avoiding key habitat and breeding areas.

Members plan to bring the site back into conservation management, keeping it primarily uncultivated, and ultimately hope to turn it into a nature reserve.

"We're eventually going to apply for it become an official nature reserve in the Maldon district," Ian said.

"We want to make it an inclusive nature reserve for everyone to take advantage of."

Members of the public can support the project by becoming a shareholder of Chelmer Blackwater Reserve for £5.

Any other donations are welcome.

The group also needs people, including businesses, to help with work on the land.

For more information on the project, click here.