PHOTOGRAPHER Steve Brading captured these stunning images from the skies above Little Clacton, Great Clacton and Weeley.

The pictures show the changing face of our villages and highlight the district’s rural areas, as well as Earls Hall Wind Farm, between Little Clacton and St Osyth.

Steve also captured pictures of new developments in Weeley, including the newly-built St Andrew’s Close.

John Cutting, chairman of Little Clacton Parish Council, said rural villages in Tendring have faced big changes in recent years because Tendring Council does not have a Local Plan – the blueprint for development in the district – in place.

He said: “Our villages are evolving at a rapid pace.

“We are having a lot of building going on that is changing the face of the village – it’s going faster than we would like it, but there’s little we can do while Tendring Council has no Local Plan in place.

“We’re at the mercy of developers and planning inspectors.

“We are not Luddites. We need some development, but we want evolution, not revolution.

“We are concerned that at the end of the day we will no longer be a village – Clacton is creeping ever closer to Little Clacton.

“We don’t want to stand in the way of progress and recognise that we do need some homes but we still want our village to keep its own identity.”

Tendring Council said work was progressing well on adopting a new Local Plan but it was “important to have the right plan in place”.

An inspector is currently holding an inquiry to examine the strategic part of the new plan, and council bosses hope the new plan will be adopted next winter.

The last local plan was due to be replaced in 2011.