A PETITION has been launched against a former factory being turned into social housing.

Last week, the Standard revealed Colne Housing’s bid to build 27 homes for people on the Tendring Council housing waiting list.

The former Bernard Uniforms factory, which has sat unused and derelict since it closed in 2007, has been a magnet for vandals.

James Goddard, 21, of Dovercourt, has launched a petition calling on Colne Housing not to go through with the plans.

But chief executive of Colne Housing, Mark Powell Davies, said: “We are really enthusiastic about developing a long derelict site to provide affordable housing.”

Read the full story in this week's Standard, out now.