Local Plan review consultation extended

Owing to the period of national mourning for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, we postponed some scheduled drop-in exhibitions about our Local Plan review.  

The consultation period for the review has consequently been extended until 4pm on 20 October 2022 and new dates have been announced for the drop-in sessions. 

New drop-in exhibition dates

The rescheduled drop-in exhibitions at the Civic Centre (Duke Street, Chelmsford, CM1 1JE) will take place on the following dates: 

• Friday 7 October: 11am to 2pm
• Saturday 8 October: 10am to 1pm 

Come along and speak to the team who are reviewing proposals for Chelmsford’s future to 2041.  

Local Plans decide where new developments go

This won’t be the only chance to have your say on Chelmsford’s future, but it is an important one. Local Plans decide where new development goes in principle and once sites are allocated it means they will almost certainly be developed. 

This is the first stage of our current 5-yearly review and there will be further steps before the Local Plan review is finalised, but this is a crucial time to share your views about how and where the city develops. 

To help explain why the Local Plan is such a key part of our planning process and why you should get involved now, we’ve produced this summary. It shows at a glance how residents’ views feed into the different stages of planning the future of Chelmsford. 

Approaches for Chelmsford’s future growth 

The council has developed five different approaches that could be followed to address the city’s growth. It is likely that the preferred approach might not be one of the five listed, but a combination of the most sustainable and deliverable elements. 

The consultation is not a vote on which specific location is the most or least popular, but a way of assessing issues and finding the most sustainable overall strategy for delivering the area’s needs. That includes our environment, infrastructure, business and education opportunities.

Virtual tour of the Local Plan review 

If you can’t get to one of these sessions, don’t worry, you can view a virtual exhibition online. This will allow you to see the proposals and approaches and explains how you can take part in the consultation: https://chelmsford.vercel.app/.  

The full Local Plan document and more information is available online on the Chelmsford City Council website. 

Where to view documents  

You can view the consultation documents and make comments on the Council’s planning policy consultation portal www.chelmsford.gov.uk/planningpolicyconsult.. 

They’ll also be available to read during normal opening hours at the Council’s Customer Service Centre at the Civic Centre, Duke Street, Chelmsford. 

How to respond with your views

• Via our consultation portal at www.chelmsford.gov.uk/planningpolicyconsult 
• By email to planning.policy@chelmsford.gov.uk 
• By post to Spatial Planning Services, Chelmsford City Council, Civic Centre, 
  Duke Street, Chelmsford, CM1 1JE 

All comments will be used to inform the next stage of the process which is when the council chooses its preferred option.