Next steps for Chelmsford’s Local Plan

The city council is reviewing its Local Plan to guide sustainable growth to 2041.

The second of three stages of consultation to review Chelmsford City Council’s Local Plan was completed in June 2024. This second consultation invited residents and stakeholders to provide feedback on the Preferred Options for the Local Plan. 

The comments received have now all been processed and recorded and are available to view on the council’s online consultation portal. The main issues raised in the consultation responses will be contained in feedback to be reported to the council’s Policy Board on 26 September 2024. At this meeting, the Policy Board solely receives the consultation feedback rather than any changes to the Local Plan. 

Phases of consultation and engagement results 

Planning law requires councils to review their Local Plan at least every five years to see if it needs updating. This is the process taking place now, which must be completed by May 2025. 

So far, the city council has completed two out of three stages of engagement in the Local Plan review process.  

In August 2022, the first stage of consultation was launched, and stakeholders were invited to provide feedback on the Issues and Options for the Local Plan. The responses to the first consultation, alongside collected evidence and national policy, helped the planning team to prepare the Preferred Options document consulted on during May and June 2024.  

The Preferred Options consultation represented the second formal stage in the preparation of the review of the adopted Local Plan. This stage of the process sought to gather views on a new full draft plan, including the plan vision, priorities, site allocations and planning policies to meet development requirements up to 2041, and draft Policies Map.  

Comments can be viewed on the consultation portal

A total of 10,418 responses were received to the Preferred Options Local Plan from 3,677 respondents. The respondents came from a wide variety of groups and individuals, including residents, developers, landowners and their agents, businesses and statutory bodies such as other local authorities and Parish/Town Councils. All respondents received an acknowledgement for their comments and have been notified of the upcoming Policy Board meeting. All the comments received can be viewed on the council’s planning policy consultation portal. 
 
These comments will be used to help shape the ‘Pre-Submission Local Plan’ which is expected to be considered by Policy Board in December and shared with residents and stakeholders for a third and final round of consultation in early 2025. After this, the newly formed Local Plan will be submitted to government and independently examined before it can be formally adopted.

Once the final plan is adopted in 2026, it will allocate land for development in Chelmsford until 2041. This is why it’s important for residents, businesses, communities and all interested parties to have their say, engage with the proposed plan and share ideas for shaping Chelmsford’s future. 

Changes to the National Planning Policy Framework 

In July 2024, the Government published its proposals for revising the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) with a closing date for comments of 24 September 2024. The consultation proposes changes in relation to housing numbers and the future of Local Plans to be considered when producing the Pre-Submission Plan.  

The proposals seek to make the new standard method for housing numbers mandatory, changing the formula to increase housing in areas of high demand/low affordability across a wider range of urban areas and removing the previous cap.  

This leads to a significant increase in the housing target for Chelmsford from an existing average of 953 homes per year to 1,406 homes per year. 

Chelmsford City Council submitted a comprehensive response to the NPFF, setting out a number of concerns. These include: 

• The proposed transitional arrangements: these need to be amended to ensure councils such as Chelmsford that are well advanced with their plan-making are allowed to continue rather than having to start again with all the related costs and delays that will arise 

• Infrastructure: the Government needs to make significant investment in infrastructure provision, to support the increased housing targets 

• Affordable homes: councils need grants and enhanced planning powers to ensure that substantial amounts of affordable housing are actually built, which is not covered by the consultation. 

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“Reviewing the existing Local Plan is an important process to help tackle the housing and climate crisis, to create a more connected community in Chelmsford and support new jobs. Thank you to the 3,677 respondents for getting involved in the process and taking the opportunity to influence and shape their district. The comments received, alongside government legislation, will help us move forward with the next stage of the Local Plan review.

“We need to build genuinely affordable homes, do more for our economy and create jobs for local people by proposing significant new land for employment. The Local Plan ensures Chelmsford has great places which are easily accessible and promote walking, cycling and public transport. We need to build communities and decent infrastructure, not just houses. There will be a third stage of consultation coming next year offering another opportunity to comment before the updated Local Plan is adopted.”

Cllr Stephen Robinson, Leader, Chelmsford City Council

Stay informed about Chelmsford’s Local Plan 

The city council’s Policy Board meeting will be streamed live on YouTube on Thursday 26 September 2024 at 7pm. To help guide Chelmsford’s growth to be a greener, fairer, more connected community, register online at www.chelmsford.gov.uk/planningpolicyconsult and you will be notified when the next stage of Local Plan consultation is launched.