Chelmsford City Council (CCC) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Southend-on-Sea Borough Council (SBC) Issues and Options Local Plan.
It is noted that the purpose of this consultation is to identify the issues the new local plan should cover, options for addressing these issues, to highlight key evidence base documents and to decide what policies are needed.
CCC has the following comments on the consultation document:
Duty to Co-operate
CCC notes SBC involvement in the South Essex 2050 Vision and welcomes the commitment to prepare a Joint Strategic Plan (JSP) between Castle Point, Basildon, Brentwood, Rochford, Southend-on-Sea, Thurrock and Essex County Council. Although it is recognised that work on the Joint Strategic Plan is at an early stage and is not expected to be adopted until 2020.
It is acknowledged that the Local Plan has been prepared in the context of ongoing joint working across South Essex in order to address strategic cross boundary matters and in the context of the Southend 2050 Vision.
Vision
It is clear that sustainability is at the heart of the Local Plan and the strengths and opportunities together with the challenges for the Local Plan are clearly set out.
Spatial Strategy and Housing
CCC notes that the identified local housing and economic needs equates to 18,000 – 24,000 new homes using the standardised methodology and 10,000 – 12,000 new jobs over a 20-year plan period. SBC have identified three potential options for how to meet the identified need.
It is noted that the preparation work for the Southend Housing and Employment Land Availability Assessment (HELAA) indicates that Southend will not be able to continue to meet all of its housing need within its existing urban area or on land at the edge of the existing built up area of Southend, therefore SBC recognise the requirement to look at other possible solutions to meet the need. This may include the promotion of larger strategic scale development (garden communities). It is noted that given Southend administrative boundary, this work would likely involve working with neighbouring authorities of Castle Point and Rochford, and as such this is work that the South Essex Joint Plan would consider.
It is noted that the South East Essex Strategic Growth Locations Assessment has identified one area around Southend (north of Fossetts Farm, Garon Park and Bournes Green Chase, incorporating land within both Southend Borough and Rochford District) that has the potential to accommodate
strategic scale development and therefore will be investigated further.