Castle Point Borough Council has today published correspondence received from the Planning Inspectors examining the Castle Point Plan.

Those questions and the initial hearing focused on the Inspectors' concerns regarding the level of housing proposed in the Castle Point Plan and whether sufficient consideration had been given to options for development outside of urban areas.

The Inspectors have found the Plan as submitted to be unsound and they have identified a number of areas where further work is required. In particular, they have indicated that additional housing provision will need to be considered and that further assessments should be undertaken to identify land from our Green Belt that could accommodate development.

The Inspectors have requested that the Council considers additional site allocations from our Green Belt that would increase housing provision and bring it closer to the Government's standard method housing requirement.

Throughout the preparation of the Castle Point Plan, the Council has sought to balance the need for new homes with the protection of the Borough's Green Belt, character and existing communities. We have consulted with residents at every stage of the preparation of the Plan.

Councillor Warren Gibson, Deputy Leader of Castle Point Borough Council said: “We are extremely disappointed. Castle Point has a number of unique circumstances and constraints which significantly restrict the number of homes that can be built.

“Those constraints are not just our Green Belt, but also important wildlife sites, community infrastructure capacity, overcrowded roads and ever diminishing bus services.

"Following substantial work over the last 4 years, the Council presented the strongest possible case based on all the available evidence. That evidence demonstrated the significant constraints facing Castle Point and supported our conclusion that there is insufficient capacity to sustainably accommodate the level of housing growth being sought by the Government.

"In preparing this Plan, we were also dealing with the legacy of the previous administration's 2022 Local Plan, which proposed substantial releases of Green Belt land. This administration took the decision to pursue a different approach, one that sought to balance housing need with protecting the character of the Borough and listening to the views expressed by our residents throughout the consultation process.

"This administration decided to optimise our use of brownfield land. When we started the Castle Point Plan this would have been sufficient to meet our housing need. Allocating Green Belt land would have been the easy option, but was not the right option, as our evidence has demonstrated. 

“This Council is not anti-development but wants to ensure that homes are built that are genuinely needed for local people, in locations that are sustainable, and of a type that meets local needs.

“We will now be seeking further advice on our next steps. Once that work is completed, we will set out our position."

Councillor Tim Copsey, Portfolio Holder for Strategic Planning of Castle Point Borough Council said:

“Our focus remains on doing what is right for Castle Point, our residents, businesses and the environment.”

Find out more information on the Castle Point Planhere.