Feedback from Chelmsford’s Local Plan consultation to be considered

Chelmsford City Council has recorded and published feedback from the recent Local Plan focused consultation. The consultation, which closed on Thursday 8 January, gave residents and stakeholders the chance to comment on the Additional Sites (Regulation 19) Document and the accompanying Integrated Impact Assessment Addendum.

Reports recording all the feedback will be presented to the council’s Policy Board at its meeting on Thursday 19 March 2026. The reports give an overview of the main issues raised by respondents during the focused consultation.

The Policy Board will be asked to consider the findings and note the outcomes of the consultation. At this stage, the Board will not be responding to comments or discussing any potential changes to the Local Plan.

Read the consultation comments and report online

A total of 1,082 comments were received from 780 individuals and organisations, including residents, developers, landowners and their agents, businesses, and statutory bodies such as neighbouring local authorities and Parish or Town Councils. All respondents have been sent an acknowledgement and informed of the upcoming Policy Board meeting. The full set of comments is available to view on the council’s planning policy consultation portal. 

Commenting on the important role responses play in forming the Local Plan, Councillor Rose Moore said:

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“Local voices are at the heart of Chelmsford’s future. The consultation process reflects how much our residents and partners care about shaping the places where they live and work. Every piece of feedback helps us build a Local Plan that supports a greener, fairer and more connected Chelmsford for the years ahead.”

Councillor Rose Moore, Cabinet Member for a Greener Chelmsford

All the comments from the focused consultation, as well as the comments from the previous consultation in February/March 2025, will be fully considered in the next stage of the Local Plan review.

The Local Plan will then be submitted to the Secretary of State who will appoint an Inspector to carry out an Independent Examination. Submission is expected to take place in early June 2026 following agreement from Chelmsford City Council’s Policy Board, Cabinet and Full Council.

Follow the progress of the Local Plan

Chelmsford City Council’s Policy Board meeting will be streamed live on YouTube from 7pm on Thursday 19 March.

Updates and more detailed information about the Local Plan are also available on the dedicated Local Plan review webpage.