Strategic Planning and Garden Communities

Strategic Planning

Partners have been reviewing the potentially very significant changes to the planning system being proposed in the Government’s Planning for the Future white paper especially where they relate to local plans and housing development. A joint response to the consultation was subsequently submitted to Government.

Plan making continues “a pace” with Castle Point having recently just submitted their local plan for examination. Strategic Housing Market Assessments (SHMAs) and land availability through 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 Harlow and Gilston Garden Town, North Essex Garden Communities and Uttlesford District Council garden communities in their local plan. The Association of South Essex Local Authorities (ASELA) is also developing a blueprint for new homes, jobs and infrastructure through a joint infrastructure and strategic plan, supported by a new prospectus.

South Essex Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) supported by Essex and Kent Developers Group are running a series of events delivered by White Label focusing on garden communities which will culminate in a conference in 2021. A Round Table event took place on 24 September looking at how the new proposed planning reforms might impact on the creation of garden communities – the full report can be read here.

Key Links For Further Information

Garden Communities

What are Garden Communities

New Garden Communities in Essex

Harlow and Gilston Garden Town

North Essex Garden Communities

Uttlesford District Council garden communities

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:

http://www.basildon.gov.uk/localplan

https://www.thurrock.gov.uk/new-local-plan-for-thurrock/thurrock-local-plan

https://www.rochford.gov.uk/planning-and-building/planning-policy/new-local-plan

https://www.castlepoint.gov.uk/planning-policy

http://www.southend.gov.uk/info/200128/planning_and_building/807/southend_new_local_plan

http://www.brentwood.gov.uk/index.php?cid=694

http://www.harlow.gov.uk/planning-policy

https://www.chelmsford.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning-policy-and-new-local-plan/new-local-plan/

https://www.braintree.gov.uk/info/200230/planning_policy

https://www.tendringdc.gov.uk/localplan

https://colchester.jdi-consult.net/localplan/

https://www.uttlesford.gov.uk/new-local-plan

https://www.maldon.gov.uk/homepage/7031/emerging_local_plan

http://www.efdclocalplan.org/

Local housing companies:

https://www.thurrock.gov.uk/thurrock-regeneration-housing/new-high-quality-housing

https://www.semprahomes.co.uk/

more to be added…

Thames Estuary 2050 Vision

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/718805/2050_Vision.pdf

Thames Estuary 2100 Plan

Plans for managing tidal flood risk in the Thames estuary to the end of the century and beyond. It looks at out how the Environment Agency will protect 1.25 million people and £200 billion worth of property from tidal flood risk.

Three phases form part of the 2100 Plan. Currently in Phase 1 until 2035, maintaining and improving current defences, middle phase will see ‘low-scale’ raising of existing tidal defences and final phase to include ‘large-scale’ raising of new and existing tidal defences as well as possible new tidal flood barriers.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/thames-estuary-2100-te2100

Bricks and Water

Is a plan of action for building homes and managing water in England,  launched in summer 2018. The report  aims to evaluate how water and housing policy is currently being implemented in England, and to set out an ambitious strategic plan for delivering water-efficient homes at volume, that are resilient to flooding.

After 36 written submissions / 49 oral submissions, found that: there was a complicated framework of nine pieces of primary legislation since privatisation / 357 pieces of secondary legislation in relation to water.