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.

A Garden Communities programme is being lead by the South Essex Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) supported by Essex and Kent Developers Group. To-date, a series of events have been delivered by White Label including:

Round Table, September 2020, looking at how the impact of the proposed planning reforms – the full report can be read here.

A virtual Building Garden Communities Conference, March 2021, where over 200 delegates listened to a number of key note speakers including the Minister for Housing – Christopher Pincher, on the importance of garden communities, particularly in building post pandemic sustainable communities. Further details can be found here.

Key Links For Further Information

What are Garden Communities

New Garden Communities in Essex

Dunton Hills Garden Village

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

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

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.

Other reports include: Bricks and Water

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.