Next week marks the start of committee meetings set to consider development site proposals for allocation in the updated Local Plan for the Braintree district.
Braintree District Council is in the early stages of reviewing its Local Plan up to 2041, that sets out policies and proposals to guide future development and growth in an area in a sustainable way, whilst ensuring that infrastructure is adequately provided for a growing population.
This review is looking at growth options post 2033 through to 2041. This includes needs and opportunities for housing, employment, transport, community facilities, while preserving local heritage and how to best protect and improve the environment.
The Local Plan Sub-Committee will meet next Thursday 15 May to consider the updated spatial strategy, which determines where housing development should go in the district, followed by meetings over the coming months when development sites put forward by landowners within specific town and village will be considered. Local sites will be looked at by members of the committee through May and June and the strategic and larger sites, which would be able to provide over 500 homes, will be considered in September.
Over 300 sites have been submitted to the council for consideration in the Local Plan so far that could deliver over 100,000 new homes across the district, with extensive modelling and assessment on their suitability carried out. Around 22 sites are planned to be recommended to councillors as suitable for allocation as a development site, and it will be for the councillors who make up the committee to decide whether they are recommended to include in the draft Local Plan or not.
The Government’s mandatory housing target means the council must allocate land to deliver 1,115 new homes a year for the district from 2026 to 2041.
Once all the sites have been considered, the ones the committee are looking to allocate will go forward into a draft plan, where residents, businesses and communities will be able to comment on and share their views in a public consultation planned for later this year. Any comments received during the formal consultation period will be reported back to the Local Plan Sub-Committee for consideration before the final plan is consulted on in early 2026. After this, the newly formed Local Plan will be submitted to government and independently examined before it can be formally adopted.
Councillor Gabrielle Spray, Cabinet Member for Planning at Braintree District Council, said: “We’re at a crucial point in the Local Plan process where extensive work will take place over the coming months looking at the sites submitted to the council for consideration. It’s important to reiterate that just because a site is promoted for development, this does not automatically mean that it will go forward as an allocation in the Local Plan or be supported for development of the proposed use. Whilst the district’s housing target is tougher, we won’t need to allocate all sites submitted to us to meet this target, however we must look to achieve it otherwise we run the risk of decision-making being taken away locally and having less say over where development goes. We know we need more housing, with more people moving to the area and people living longer, however what is important is that we have the necessary infrastructure and services to support that housing growth and the council will do all it can through the Local Plan review process and what it can influence at a district council level to facilitate this for communities.
“Residents and anyone interested will have the opportunity to comment and share their views on these sites in the next consultation planned for later this year to help inform final decisions on sites. Thank you to everyone who has already engaged with the Local Plan process so far - your feedback has been invaluable and will help shape the draft plan. The Local Plan will allocate land for development in the district over the next 15 years once adopted next year, which is why it’s important for everyone to have their say, engage with the proposed plan and share ideas for shaping the district’s future.”
Residents can keep updated on the Local Plan Review in a number of ways:
- They can make representation at a Local Plan Sub-Committee meeting by registering to speak. Meetings are also streamed live via the council’s YouTube channel and available on catch up
- Subscribe to the council’s planning newsletter for the latest updates and information relating to planning and the Local Plan
- Residents can register to the council’s Local Plan database to get notified first when Local Plan consultations launch.