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Consultation begins on new Draft Local Plan

Consultation on a new Local Plan for Castle Point begins this this week.

Notices have been sent to all homes and businesses in the Borough so that local people can make their comments known during the 6 week consultation period which begins on 4th  July and ends on the 15th  August.

The Local Plan is a policy document setting out how development and growth in Castle Point will be met over the next 15 years.

The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government has written to the Council and confirmed the need to accelerate the timetable for delivery of a new Local Plan.

It covers a range of subjects including, town centre regeneration, transport improvement areas, housing need, employment and retail requirements, sport and recreation, education and healthcare, protection of local wildlife and much more.

Local Authorities are required, by law, to have an up-to-date Local Plan, The current Local Plan was adopted in 1998, and is no longer up to date. The Council  prepared and consulted publicly on Local Plans in both 2014 and 2016 but work stalled in 2016 when the plan was withdrawn from the examination process by The Planning Inspectorate.

However the majority of the evidence and consultation responses in 2014 and 2016 are still relevant  The Council intends to revisit the work from 2014 to prepare a new plan, and where necessary seek to update and revise the policies and sites allocations on the basis of new national planning policy, guidance and local evidence that has emerged in the intervening time.

Consultation responses will be collated and, along with updated technical evidence, used to inform the preparation of a new draft Local Plan.  When that is complete the new plan will be put out to public consultation again in early 2019.

The deadline for comments in this first stage of consultation is 23.59pm on Wednesday 15 August 2018.