-     To seek the Planning Policy & Local Plan Committee’s agreement to publish a new ‘Local Development Scheme’ (LDS), updating the proposed timetable for preparing Planning documents including the Local Plan Review and the Development Plan Document (DPD) for the Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community (TCBGC).

-     To provide the Planning Policy and Local Plan Committee with an update on current progress in respect of the evidence base that will inform the review of the Local Plan.

The Committee considered a detailed report of the Director (Planning and Communities) (A.2) sought its agreement to publish a new ‘Local Development Scheme’ (LDS), updating the proposed timetable for preparing Planning documents including the Local Plan Review and the Development Plan Document (DPD) for the Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community (TCBGC). The report also provided the Committee with an update on current progress in respect of the evidence base that would inform the review of the Local Plan.

Members were aware that the purpose of the Local Development Scheme (LDS) was to set out an indicative timetable for preparing key Planning documents. It was particularly useful for members of the public, partner organisations and third parties to understand the broad programme of work and how the Council proposed to resource and manage it.

It was reported that the LDS covered the review of the Local Plan, the preparation and adoption of the Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community (TCBGC) Development Plan Document (DPD), and the production of other key planning documents. It included the anticipated timetable of consultation periods, examinations and expected dates of adoption. Publishing the LDS ensured that stakeholders, including members of the public, Town and Parish Councils, landowners and developers, partner organisations and the Planning Inspectorate were kept aware of the timetable the Council was working to, and could therefore forward plan and organise their time and resources accordingly.

The Committee recalled that it had agreed to commence the mandatory five-year review of the Local Plan at its meeting held on 20 December 2023. Following the Government’s consultation in the summer of 2024 about proposed changes to the NPPF, work on the Local Plan review had been paused whilst the Council awaited certainty regarding the housing requirement the Local Plan would need to accommodate. The new version of the NPPF and associated standard method for calculation housing need had been published in December 2024, and work could now resume. The timetable for reviewing the Local Plan had been updated to reflect the anticipated timeline over the coming year.

Members were informed that the indicative timetable for the TCBGC DPD had also been updated to reflect the most recent stages of work that had been completed and the anticipated timeframes for receiving the Inspector’s final report – with adoption of the DPD anticipated in Spring 2025.

The Committee was reminded that the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) was an alternative means of securing developer contributions towards vital infrastructure based on a tariff system rather than individually negotiated Section 106 agreements. The introduction of a CIL was optional for local authorities and within the wording of its Local Plan policies this Council had always kept the option open. In the past there had not been strong enough justification for introducing a CIL in  this District, but with the need to bring forward additional land for development through the Local Plan review in response to the Government’s new housebuilding targets, the case for CIL might be stronger going forward.

To inform future decisions about the introduction of a CIL, a viability assessment had been commissioned, to establish whether CIL might be a suitable means of collecting development contributions in the Tendring District, and the process towards formally adopting a CIL Charging Schedule had been set out in the LDS. Once the initial evidence had been prepared, the findings would be reported to the Planning Policy and Local Plan Committee who would decide whether the draft Charging Schedule should proceed to public consultation.

It was important that all policies and proposals in Local Plans were informed and underpinned by proportionate but robust technical evidence, and the LDS contained an overview of the documents that were likely to be required as part of the Local Plan Review. Various elements of the ‘evidence base’ to inform the current review of the Local Plan were under way, and an update on the status of those reports and studies were included within the body of the Director’s report.

Having introduced the report, the Planning Policy Team Leader then responded to the following question:-

·      should the ongoing nationally important infrastructure projects that were affecting the District be included within the LDS?

The Chairman suggested that an informal meeting / workshop should be arranged to enable Committee Members to be briefed on the local plan technical evidence documents that were due to be received in the Spring 2025 and also to be briefed on the potential for a Community Infrastructure Levy especially in the light of local government reorganisation. The Director (Planning and Communities) undertook to arrange this in due course.

Having duly taken all of the above information into account and having discussed the matter:-

It was moved by Councillor M Cossens, seconded by Councillor Brayand unanimously:-

RESOLVED that the Planning Policy and Local Plan Committee –

(a)   approves the updated Local Development Scheme (LDS) 2025-2028 (attached as Appendix 1) for publication on the Council’s website and for submission to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government; and

(b)   notes the contents of the report (A.2) and the progress of the supporting evidence base.