Essex Local Plan Watch - Spring 2024

There are good opportunities available across Essex, with new Local Plans at the early stages of review across the north and centre of the county and immediate opportunities available in some areas elsewhere.

Chelmsford City Council is always amongst the boldest, most pro-growth authorities in Essex and it is maintaining that reputation by gearing up to publish a draft Local Plan with further major allocations. These include 4,500 homes and 90,000sqm of employment floorspace to the East Chelmsford, focused on a new garden community at Hammonds Farm, Sandon.

Uttlesford undertook its draft Local Plan consultation at the end of last year, with the Preferred Options (Regulation 19) draft, anticipated to be published in late Summer. The draft Plan includes new allocations for just over 6,000 new homes.

In north Essex, Braintree, Colchester and Tendring have all begun reviews of their Local Plans. Colchester and Tendring are working to a similar timetable, both recently finishing their Call for Sites consultations. Braintree is now running a Call for Sites consultation until 24^th May.

Brentwood has launched its partial Local Plan review with a recent Call for Sites consultation, which provided opportunities to submit new sites for Green Belt release. The timetable is falling behind the anticipated timeframes of the adopted Local Development Scheme, but it is positive that the Council has commenced a review less than two years on from the adoption of its existing Plan.

In contrast, many of the Local Plans in South Essex date from the late 1990s and the politics of Green Belt release across this area continues to hamper progress. Partly as a result of this, there have been various successful appeals on Green Belt sites in Basildon and Castle Point. Where the benefits case is strong enough, there are therefore immediate opportunities in these areas.