Council confirms updated timetable for Local Plan Review

Braintree District Council confirms its revised timetable for the Local Plan Review after it was approved at a Local Plan Sub-Committee on Monday, 16 September.

This comes after the announcement of the government’s proposed planning reforms which is giving local authorities until December 2026 to submit an up-to-date plan compared to the previous deadline of June 2025.

The revised timetable includes a further round of public engagement in the New Year, in the form of an ‘Issues and Options’ consultation, which will engage residents on the key issues and challenges facing the district and a set of ideas and solutions to tackle these through planning policies. Statutory consultations will follow in 2025 and 2026, known as ‘Preferred Options’ and ‘Pre-Submission’, prior to submitting a revised plan to the planning inspectorate for examination and adoption in 2026.

The Local Plan sets out the policies and proposals for guiding development and managing growth in the Braintree district. It identifies where and how new development should take place in the future as well as protection of the green environment and heritage.

The council’s current Local Plan is designed to run until 2033 but has to be reviewed and updated, if necessary, at least every five years. Braintree District Council adopted its current Local Plan in 2021. The review of Braintree District’s Local Plan is looking at growth options post 2033 through to 2041.

Government requirements mean councils like Braintree must provide more homes, but its aim is to get the right type of development in the right places with the necessary infrastructure to meet the growing needs of local residents and businesses while protecting the environment.

The council also held a non-statutory, informal early engagement exercise in July and August 2024 to encourage residents to share initial ideas and suggestions on what they would like to be considered in the plan, with comments being taken on board as the council moves through the review process.

Councillor Gabrielle Spray, Cabinet Member for Planning at Braintree District Council, said: “Now we have been given extra time from central government to submit an updated Local Plan, we are able to give residents a further opportunity to share their views with us on what they think the plan should include and whether we have got the priorities right. The Local Plan affects every resident, and your input will be an invaluable part of the preparation process for an updated Local Plan. I’d urge everyone with an interest in what happens in their town or village to get involved and help shape the district’s future together when we launch the consultation in the New Year.”

To make sure the council has as good as possible understanding of what it needs to build and protect, what is already in the district and what the market trends are, it is currently developing a series of evidence base documents to help shape a revised Local Plan. Residents can provide feedback on the evidence base documents which will be published alongside future consultations on the council’s planning consultation portal.

The council conducted a call for sites exercise earlier this year for developers and others to share suggestions for new development or environmental protection. No decision has been made on sites allocated in the updated Local Plan yet and each site is currently being robustly assessed to see whether they are suitable, available and achievable for development. Residents will have an opportunity to comment on the planned sites at a future consultation stage in the New Year.

Residents can keep updated on the Local Plan Review process, decisions and consultation information by visiting www.braintree.gov.uk/localplanreview, following the council on social media and signing up to receive email updates from its Planning Policy team online.

Published: 16th September 2024