To enable Council to consider approving the Tendring District Local Plan Review: Submission Version for the purposes of a public consultation pursuant to Regulation 19.

Further to declarations of interest made under minute 34 above, Councillors Bray, Fairley and Harris withdrew from the meeting whilst this matter was considered and determined.

Council considered a reference report (and its addendum) that set out the recommendations made to it by the Planning Policy and Local Plan Committee in relation to the Tendring District Local Plan Review – Submission Version.

It was reported that the Planning Policy and Local Plan Committee (“the Committee”), at its meeting held on 25 August 2026 (minute 15 referred), had considered a comprehensive report of the Corporate Director (Planning and Community) (A.1) which had presented the Tendring District Local Plan ‘Submission Version’ to the Committee and which had sought the Committee’s agreement for this document, along with the Sustainability Appraisal and Habitat Regulations Assessment, to be recommended for approval by Full Council. That approval would allow that document to proceed to formal public consultation in line with Regulation 19 of the statutory plan-making process.

Having considered that report the Committee had formally resolved unanimously:-

“that the Planning Policy and Local Plan Committee –

a)   notes the contents of this report that explains how the Tendring District Local Plan – Submission Version has been developed having regard to the direction given and decisions taken by the Committee at previous meetings, feedback from the public consultation on the Preferred Options Draft carried out in February and March 2026 and the updated evidence base especially, together with the Sustainability Appraisal and Habitats Regulation Assessment, which have been an integral part of the Local Plan preparation and informed the Local Plan for submission, as well as the requirements of national planning policy;

b)   subject to the agreement of the Leader of the Council and the Portfolio Holder responsible for Planning, agrees to recommend to Full Council:

             i.    that the Tendring District Local Plan – Submission Version (at Appendix 1), being considered to meet the tests of soundness, be approved for six-weeks’ formal public consultation, alongside the related Sustainability Appraisal (at Appendix 2), Habitat Regulations Assessment (at Appendix 3) and other updated supporting evidence (including those listed as background documents) in accordance with Regulation 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended) and Regulation 13 of the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004 (as amended); and

            ii.    that the Corporate Director (Planning and Community) be authorised, in consultation with the Chairman of the Planning Policy and Local Plan Committee, to make corrections, if necessary, to address minor formatting, mapping, typographical, grammatical or factual errors within the aforementioned Draft Plan (in Appendix 1), in the event that any are discovered before the public consultation commences;

(c) notes that a final decision to confirm the Council’s wish to submit the Local Plan and associated documents to the Secretary of State will need to be taken by Full Council, on the recommendation of the Planning Policy and Local Plan Committee, following the closure of the Regulation 19 public consultation; and

(d) notes that the submission of the Local Plan to the Secretary of State will need to happen before 31 December 2026 or else the Council will need to begin the Local Plan review ‘from scratch’ under a new system.”

In addition, on 26 August 2026, the Leader of the Council and the Portfolio Holder for Housing & Planning had made a joint decision to agree, inter alia, and on behalf of the Cabinet, to recommend to Full Council that the Submission Version of the Local Plan be approved for six-weeks public consultation, alongside the related Sustainability Appraisal (at Appendix 2), Habitats Regulation Assessment (at Appendix 3) and other supporting evidence (including those listed as background documents) in accordance with Regulation 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended) and Regulation 13 of the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programme Regulations 2004, as amended.

Councillors Guglielmi, Keteca, Barry, M A Cossens, Scott, Baker and M E Stephenson addressed Council during the debate on this matter.

Having duly considered the recommendations submitted to it by the Planning Policy and Local Plan Committee, and by the Leader of the Council and the Housing & Planning Portfolio Holder, acting on behalf of the Cabinet:-

It was moved by Councillor Guglielmi, seconded by Councillor Baker and:-

RESOLVED that –

(a)     the Tendring District Local Plan – Submission Version, being considered to meet the tests of soundness, be approved for six-weeks public consultation, alongside the related Sustainability Appraisal, Habitats Regulations Assessment and other supporting evidence (including those listed as background documents) in accordance with Regulation 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended) and Regulation 13 of the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programme Regulations, as amended;

(b)     the Corporate Director (Planning and Community), in consultation with the Chairman of the Planning Policy and Local Plan Committee, be authorised to make corrections, if necessary, to address any minor formatting, mapping, typographical, grammatical or factual errors within the aforementioned Draft Plan, in the event that any are discovered before the consultation commences;

(c)     it is noted that a final decision to confirm the Council’s wish to submit the Local Plan and associated documents to the Secretary of State will need to be taken by Full Council, on the recommendation of the Planning Policy and Local Plan Committee, following the closure of the Regulation 19 public consultation; and

(d)     it is noted that the submission of the Local Plan to the Secretary of State will need to happen before 31 December 2026 or else the Council will need to begin the Local Plan review ‘from scratch’ under a new system.