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Strategic Planning, Regeneration, Garden Communities and Stewardship

Strategic Planning

The revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out government’s planning policies for England and how these are expected to be applied. The latest revisions were published on 7 February 2025 and can be found here.

Homes England’s Strategic Plan 2023-28, (to be reviewed) refocuses on quality, place making and regeneration. Five key objectives include vibrant and successful places and homes people need, supported by a range of Key Performance Indicators.

The Housing Information Hub, developed by Homes England, also signposts local authorities and other housing providers to guidance and tools relating to homebuilding, placemaking and regeneration.

Local plan making is progressing with a number of plans going forward for examination. For the latest position on individual local plans, please see the links below. Housing Need Assessments (HNA) and Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessments (SHLAAs) continue to form a major part of the wider evidence base to support Local Plans and investment in infrastructure.

Garden Communities

The plans for new garden communities are being developed across Essex including Chelmsford Garden Community, Harlow and Gilston Garden Town, Tendring and Colchester Borders Garden Community and Dunton Hills Garden Village. South Essex Local Authorities (SEC) have undertaken joint work on provision of new homes, jobs and infrastructure, this included a Strategic Place Partnership with Homes England, see here.

The Building New Communities programme is now in its fifth year 2025-26, supported by the Essex Developers Group and other key sponsors. To-date, a series of events have been delivered by White Label including:

Building New Communities – 6th Conference 21 April 2026
Building New Communities – 5th Conference, 29 April 2025
Building Garden Communities – 4th Conference, 23 April 2024
Building Garden Communities – 3rd Conference, 26 April 2023
Round Table – Building Garden Communities, 27 September 2022
Building Garden Communities – 2nd Conference, 24 May 2022
Round Table – build back beautiful, 22 July 2021
Building Garden Communities – 1st Conference, March 2021
Round Table – impact of the proposed planning reforms, September 2020

Stewardship and Estate Charging

Essex Developers and Kent Developers Group have been running a forum to share best practice and review different stewardship models for garden community schemes. This has included:

Testing different models – endowment v charging. Ensuring the successful engagement of key stakeholders and the effective long term management of community assets through for example embedding the preferred model / approach in local plans. Ideally through a SPD allowing some flexibility when developments / requirements change.

The forum has been supporting Homes England on their Garden Communities Programme, and awaits the New Towns Taskforce report anticipated in autumn 2025.

Some excellent advice and best practice can be found in Homes England’s “Garden Communities Tool Kit” , the TCPA’s: “Emerging Lessons in Long-term Stewardship” and the more recent Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) report on housebuilding see Government response here.

The Forum has also been working closely with Community Stewardship Solutions as they develop their Stewardship Hub concept.

And has been exploring the role of the New Homes Ombudsman regarding potential malpractice in estate management and lessons learnt see annual report 2023-24.

Some key links to work covered / supported by the Forum is set out below:

A new Stewardship Charter for Harlow and Gilston Garden Town can be found here.
Why a rent charge – sample rent charge deeds from Chilmington Green, Ashford can be found here
Managing BNG in Garden Communities – see CCC’s presentation here and a view from ECC’s BNG Officer here.
Well-Designed Neighbourhood Guide, (not ECC Policy), incorporated into the Essex Design Guide, see report here.
Tendering Colchester Borders Garden Community briefing Jan 2023
South Ashford Garden Community Stewardship update May 2022
Otterpool Park, Governance & Stewardship update July 2022
Forum’s Work in Progress report November 2022

Key Links For Further Information

What are Garden Communities

New Garden Communities in Essex

Dunton Hills Garden Village

Harlow and Gilston Garden Town

Tendering Colchester Borders Garden Community

North Heybridge Garden Suburb, Maldon

Chelmsford Garden Village

Hemel Garden Communities

Landgarth Garden Village

Local Plans

Essex is made up of 15 Local Planning Authorities including City, District, Borough, Unitary and County Councils. The following links will take you to each local authorities planning page for the latest local plan update:

Local housing companies:

Thames Estuary

The Thames Estuary is the UK’s number one growth opportunity. Located in the south-east of England, on the country’s most important waterway, we are in a good place.

The Thames Estuary Growth Board, led by our government-appointed Envoy, Kate Willard, is driving forward an action plan: “The Green Blue”.

This builds on the previous Thames Estuary 2050 Vision

and is informed by the Thames Estuary 2100 Plan

Other reports include: Bricks and Water – a plan of action for building homes and managing water in England, 2018. Updated in June 2023 Managing flood risk and accelerating adaptation in a climate emergency