Thank you for providing the opportunity to offer our views on the Southend Local Plan Issues and Options document.
The Southend Borough New Local Plan (SBLP) Issues and Options consultation document has identified three spatial strategy options for the delivery of housing in Southend Borough. It is noted that Option 1 and Option 2 would be likely to result in the Borough failing to meet its identified housing needs. The failure of Southend Borough Council (SBC) to meet its identified housing needs would place additional housing pressures on surrounding local authority areas including Castle Point Borough. As a town and economy of significant size, Southend on Sea has an important sub-regional role in providing a large amount of new housing and economic growth. Whilst it is acknowledged that Southend Borough includes a large amount of environmental constraints to development, Castle Point Borough Council (CPBP) encourages SBC to seek to accommodate housing growth which meets local housing and economic needs in full. The South East Essex Strategic Growth Locations Assessment (January 2019) has identified that the area north of Fossetts Farm, Garon Park and Bournes Green Chase could be suitable to support the delivery of strategic growth. CPBC supports the conclusions of this assessment. Therefore, in relation to question 1.4 within the Issues and Options consultation document, CPBC encourages SBC to consider progressing with Option 3 as a future spatial strategy. Through the production of the new Local Plan, CPBC encourages SBC to ensure that the rates of proposed housing delivery within the Plan are realistic, deliverable, and closely aligned to the delivery of appropriate infrastructure. This should be undertaken by considering in detail the phasing of required infrastructure alongside proposed housing growth to ensure that the strategy for infrastructure improvements within the Plan is realistic and deliverable. CPBC therefore looks forward to working closely with SBC through the Duty to Cooperate to ensure that the proposed infrastructure improvements supporting housing growth in the new Local Plan are both viable and deliverable when considered against proposed rates of housing delivery.