Braintree District Council’s Full Council has unanimously agreed to adopt the Strategic Section 1 Local Plan which it shares with Tendring District and Colchester Borough council.
At a meeting of Full Council last night (Monday 22 February), members approved Section 1 of the plan, paving the way for work on Section 2 to continue.
A Local Plan is a strategic blueprint for development, and the new one being adopted by Braintree District Council runs until 2033.
Section 1 was drawn up jointly between Braintree District Council, Colchester Borough Council, Tendring District Council, and supported by Essex County Council, taking a cross-border approach to sustainable development and the future of homes, jobs and infrastructure in North Essex.
In December 2020, a Planning Inspector ruled Section 1 of the plan to be legally compliant and could be adopted subject to including his modifications.
The council will now continue with Section 2 which is its individual plan, which contains local policies and allocations, prior to adoption of the whole plan.
Cllr Gabrielle Spray, Cabinet Member for Planning at Braintree District Council, said: “All parties support the way forward. We will continue to press the Planning Inspector to bring forward the examination of the second part of our local plan from July 2021. "We hope we can adopt the whole plan this year and this will give us better protection from inappropriate development.”
- Full Council can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5prb2kM6R3U