Statement of Community Involvement
2. Community Involvement in the Local Plan
2.1 As part of the preparation for the now-adopted Local Plan, the Council undertook extensive public consultation. This included touring exhibitions, public meetings, interactive workshop sessions, leaflets being sent to residents' houses, radio advertising, meetings in schools and extensive press coverage. The Council has, over these years, promoted a level of publicity and active engagement far in excess of that required by the government's planning regulations and far more extensive than most local planning authorities in Essex. Despite these efforts, there have been continued accusations from residents that the Council has not done enough to involve them in the process.
2.2 The comments received in response to the last public consultation exercises and the active engagement with community representatives including all of our District Councillors and Town and Parish Councils demonstrate positive community involvement. These comments helped to shape the Council's policies and proposals contained in the adopted Local Plan
2.3 The updated Local Plan will have to include proposals to deliver more homes in the district until the 2041. To meet the objectively assessed need for housing, the Council will need to identify housing sites in locations that may not be popular with all residents, even if they are technically suitable for development and would help to support the economy of the district.
Local Plan preparation process proposed
Further scoping and gathering evidence
Development of policy options
The Council will invite the input of relevant stakeholders in updating and gathering further evidence depending on the issues concerned.
The Council will consider a range of possible options for new proposals and policies and residents and other stakeholders will be invited to comment on the Council’s ‘preferred’ options.
Consider the received responses and make any necessary amendments to the Local Plan document.
Publication of the proposed submission plan
The revised Local Plan will be published for six weeks statutory consultation before it is submitted to the Secretary of State.
Representations on the published draft Local Plan are sent to the Council for consideration and analysis to be published in a consultation statement.
Submission of the Local Plan document for independent examination
Consultation on modifications
(if needed)
Inspector’s Report
Adoption of the Local Plan document
Proposed communication techniques for the Local Plan process
2.4 The following tables set out the communication techniques that the Council will employ to both notify and engage residents and other stakeholders in the next stages of the Local Plan process from the initial consultation on preferred options through to the final adoption of the document. More details of these stakeholder groups and these communication techniques are set out in Appendices 1 and 2 respectively.
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Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stages 4-6
Stakeholder Group
Consultation on the Local Plan: Preferred Options.
Consultation on the Local Plan: Proposed Submission Draft.
Notifications on the submission of the Local Plan for Examination by a Planning Inspector.
Communications about the process of examination and notification about the adoption of the plan.
Members of the public
Residents directly affected by new strategic development sites
(including communities outside of Tendring)
Media and publicity
Neighbour notification and/or site notice*
Exhibitions
Consultation document (available to view online, at Council offices and at libraries)
Representation form
Interactive website
Media and publicity
E-mails/Letters (to residents that responded to the stage 1 consultation)
Final consultation document (available to view online, at Council offices and at libraries)
Representation form
Media and publicity
E-mails/Letters (to residents that responded to the stage 2 consultation)
Focussed changes document - if needed (available to view online, at Council offices and at libraries)
Media and publicity
E-mails/Letters (to residents that responded to the stage 2 consultation)
Residents in communities affected by new strategic development sites
(including communities outside of Tendring)
Media and publicity
Leaflets to properties in affected communities.
Exhibitions
Consultation document (available to view online, at Council offices and at libraries)
Interactive website
Media and publicity
E-mails/Letters (to residents that responded to the stage 1 consultation)
Final consultation document (available to view online, at Council offices and at libraries)
Representation form
Media and publicity
E-mails/Letters (to residents that responded to the stage 2 consultation)
Focussed changes document - if needed (available to view online, at Council offices and at libraries)
Media and publicity
E-mails/Letters (to residents that responded to the stage 2 consultation)
Hard to reach groups (see Chapter 7)
Media and publicity
E-mails/Letter to schools and churches
Offer to speak to groups of students
Interactive website
Letters/e-mails to special interest groups
Representation form
Media and publicity
E-mails/Letters (to residents that responded to the stage 1 consultation)
Final consultation document (available to view online, at Council offices and at libraries)
Representation form
Media and publicity
E-mails/Letters (to residents that responded to the stage 2 consultation)
Focussed changes document - if needed (available to view online, at Council offices and at libraries)
Media and publicity
E-mails/Letters (to residents that responded to the stage 2 consultation)
Other residents
Media and Publicity
E-mails/Letters to residents registered on the Council's planning database.
Interactive website
Representation form
Media and Publicity
E-mails/Letters to residents that responded to the stage 1 consultation
Representation form
Media and publicity
E-mails/Letters (to residents that responded to the stage 2 consultation)
Focussed changes document - if needed (available to view online, at Council offices and at libraries)
Media and publicity
E-mails/Letters (to residents that responded to the stage 2 consultation)
Technical Stakeholders
Technical Stakeholders
(including government agencies, neighbouring authorities and other technical/statutory consultees)
E-mail/Letters
Meetings with relevant bodies.
Consultation document (to be viewed online or paper copies provided on request)
Workshops/discussion groups
E-mail/Letters
Final Consultation Document (to be viewed online or paper copies provided on request)
E-mails/Letters
Focussed changes document (if needed)
E-mails/Letters
Business, Landowners and Developers
Business, Landowners & Developers
E-mails/Letters
Meetings with relevant bodies.
Consultation document (to be viewed online)
E-mails/Letters
Consultation document (to be viewed online)
E-mails/Letters
Focussed changes document (if needed)
E-mails/Letters
Community Representatives
District Councillors
Letters
Consultation Document
Representation Form
Letters
Consultation Document
Representation Form
E-mails/Letters
Focussed changes document (if needed)
E-mails/Letters
Town & Parish Councils
(including those adjoining Tendring)
Letters
Consultation Document
Representation Form
Meetings with Councils affected by the new strategic allocations.
Interactive website
Opportunity for Town and Parish Councils to hold their own public meetings or exhibitions with assistance from TDC officers.
Letters
Consultation Document
Representation Form
Letters
Consultation Document
Representation Form
E-mails/Letters
Other Community Groups
(including voluntary groups, specialist groups, residents' groups and others)
E-mails/Letters to residents registered on the Council's planning database.
Interactive website
Representation form
E-mails/Letters to residents that responded to the stage 1 consultation
Representation form
E-mails/Letters (to residents that responded to the stage 2 consultation)
Focussed changes document - if needed (available to view online, at Council offices and at libraries)
E-mails/Letters (to residents that responded to the stage 2 consultation)
*Neighbour notification and/or site notice - This takes place on a non-statutory and discretionary basis. Neighbours are notified on the basis that, in the opinion of the Planning Officer, they are affected to a material extent by the proposed development. Normally such notifications will be limited to properties which share a common boundary with the proposed development site. However for some strategic development sites which have a greater impact on their locality it may, at the Planning Officer's discretion, be appropriate to notify properties on the opposite side of the road or to provide a site notice.
Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)
2.5 Community Infrastructure (CIL) is a method by which the Council can secure financial contributions from developers toward the infrastructure needed to support growth. The Council intends to prepare and consult upon an Infrastructure Delivery Plan and CIL Charging Schedule document alongside the Local Plan which will explain how the mechanism will work and how much developers will be charged per square metre of development proposed. It is likely that businesses, landowners and developers will be the main stakeholders that wish to comment on this document as it could have financial implications for their proposals.
Sustainability Appraisal, Strategic Environmental Assessment
2.6 Local Plans and some other planning documents must also be accompanied by a 'Sustainability Appraisal' and 'Strategic Environmental Assessment'. Sustainability Appraisal is a requirement of section 19 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 and must be undertaken for each stage of the plan-making process to ensure that the plan does everything it can to achieve sustainable development. Many of the requirements for sustainability appraisals happen to overlap with some of the requirements in the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004, which gives effect to European Directive 2001/42/EC on the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment. It will therefore be a requirement of both UK and European Law to appraise the sustainability and environmental effects of proposals in the Local Plan and other planning documents. Therefore, when Local Plans and other relevant documents are published for consultation, the Council will also publish a joint Sustainability Appraisal and Strategic Environmental Assessment and will invite comments on that document.