Rochford District Council’s Planning Policy Committee were due to discuss a revised timetable for the production of the emerging Local Plan on the 1 August 2024. This timetable had been revised to ensure that all the relevant evidence was available in advance of any draft being published so that members of the Council and residents in the District had all the necessary information to engage with the Plan. A revised timetable will be published in due course.
Despite the Government’s proposed changes to the planning system, none of our previous work on Rochford’s Local Plan is wasted, and our evidence base will be reviewed alongside any new planning policies.
The Council has made no decisions on the spatial distribution of new homes, jobs and other facilities which the Local Plan must seek to address. Drafts of the Local Plan will be approved by the Council in due course and will be subject to full, meaningful and detailed engagement with local residents and businesses before being submitted to the Planning Inspector.
Rochford District Council has submitted a response to the government’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) consultation which was discussed at the Planning Policy Committee meeting on 19 September 2024. In particular, the response included the Council’s concerns about the definition of Grey Belt and the concern that just because land has been previously developed does not mean it is suitable for future development in terms of access to transport links, amenities, utilities and other key infrastructure.
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