Statement of Community Involvement

Appendix 1: Stakeholder Groups

Technical Stakeholders

Duty to Co-operate

The Localism Act 2011 places a duty on public bodies to co-operate on any strategic matter relating to Local Plans and other planning documents. A strategic matter is defined as an issue that would have a significant impact on at least two planning areas, or a county matter in a two tier area. Tendring District Council is required to co-operate with appropriate authorities as listed below to ensure the activities related to planning are effective:

The duty to co-operate applies to:

• Environment Agency
• Historic England
• Natural England
• Mayor of London
• Civil Aviation Authority
• Homes and Communities Agency (HCA)
• Primary Care Trusts (or equivalent local NHS health bodies)
• Office of Rail Regulation
• Transport for London
• Integrated Transport Authority
• Highways Authority
• Highways Agency
• Marine Management Organisation (MMO)
• North Essex Economic board (NEEB)
• Essex County Council

The duty to co-operate is most likely to apply to authorities that adjoin the Tendring District, although there may be some strategic matters where co-operation with authorities in the wider area may also be necessary. For Tendring, the adjoining authorities are:

• Babergh District Council
• Colchester City Council
• Suffolk County Council

Due to the strategic nature of the Section 1 Local Plan, it is also appropriate to involve the following authorities:

• Braintree District Council
• Uttlesford District Council

Sustainability Appraisal Consultation Organisations

The following organisations should be consulted on Sustainability Appraisals under the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004:

• Environment Agency
• Historic England
• Natural England

Specific Consultation Bodies

When preparing Local Plans and other planning documents, the Council is required to consult such of the 'specific consultation bodies' as it considers may have an interest in the subject of the document. The specific consultation bodies are set out in the regulations as:

• Environment Agency
• Historic England
• Marine Management Organisation (MMO)
• Natural England
• Network Rail
• National Highways
• Telecommunications operators
• Primary Care Trusts (or equivalent local NHS health bodies)
• Electricity and gas companies
• Sewerage and water companies
• Homes England
• Coal Authority

General Consultation Bodies

When preparing plans, the Council is required to consult any 'general consultation bodies' it considers appropriate. The general consultation bodies are set out in the regulations as:

• voluntary bodies some or all of whose activities benefit any part of the local planning authority's area;

• bodies which represent the interests of different racial, ethnic or national groups in the local planning authority's area;

• bodies which represent the interests of different religious groups in the local planning authority's area;

• bodies which represent the interests of disabled persons in the local planning authority's area;

• bodies which represent the interests of persons carrying out business in the local planning authority's area.

The Council maintains a consultation database that includes all of these types of general consultation body.

Businesses, Landowners and Developers

Businesses

Businesses already located in the district will often have an interest in the Local Plan and other planning documents and will generally want to ensure that planning policies are sufficiently flexible to enable them to expand, change or relocate in response to changing economic circumstances. Businesses outside of the district may want to locate to Tendring and may have an interest, for example, in the Council's policies on employment land and town centres. The Council keeps a database of businesses that have indicated an interest in the Local Plan process in the past and will consult them as and when new documents are published.

Landowners

In the majority of cases, a landowner's interest in the Local Plan will be financial and to see whether or not their land is or can be allocated for development. Landowners will often, but not always, employ the services of a planning consultant or land agent to make representations on their behalf, either in support or objection to the plan.

For the majority of sites allocated for development in the Local Plan, the Council will have already been in communication with the landowners or their consultant/agent to ascertain whether or not they would be willing to release the land for development and will have worked with them to identify any initial problems or to draw up proposals in more detail. For sites not allocated for development in the Local Plan, the landowners will often make representations in objection.

The Council keeps a database of landowners that have indicated an interest in the Local Plan process in the past and will consult them as and when new documents are published.

Developers

A number of national and local developers operate in the Tendring District. Developers tend to take a keen interest in the proposals in the Local Plan, looking for opportunities to buy land where development will be permitted. They also take an interest in the policies in the Local Plan mainly to ensure that they are based on robust evidence and are sufficiently flexible to take into account issues of economic viability.

The Council keeps a database of developers that have indicated an interest in the Local Plan process in the past and will consult them as and when new documents are published.

Community Representatives

District Councillors

The elected Members of Tendring District Council have an important role in shaping and approving the content of the Local Plan and other planning documents. For Development Management, they play a role in determining some planning applications through the Planning Committee.

They also play an important role in helping to communicate the messages of the Local Plan to residents in their ward and communicating local concerns back to the Council's Planning Officers. The Councillors are all provided with copies of the planning documents as they are produced and are consulted individually on the documents, providing an opportunity to express views of local people.

Parish and Town Councils

Tendring has 27 Town and Parish Councils who play a very important role in representing their communities and who play an active role in helping to shape the content of the Local Plan. Over the last few years, the Council has invested considerable time in meeting with Town and Parish Councils to understand some of the planning issues affecting their areas and to talk through some of the possible developments that could take place.

As well as being a key consultee, Town and Parish Councils are very good at communicating the messages of the Local Plan to their residents and communicating back any concerns to Planning Officers. Some have organised specific public meetings and exhibitions for their residents and invited Planning Officers to come along to answer questions. Town and Parish Councils are also recognised as being important in the community consultation process on planning applications.

Tendring's 27 Town and Parish Councils are:

The recently formed Tendring District Association of Local Councils (TDALC) brings together Member representatives from Tendring's Town and Parish Councils. This group also forms an important consultation recourse.

The following adjoining Town and Parish Councils are also consulted on the Local Plan and other relevant planning proposals:

• Dedham Parish Council
• Langham Parish Council
• Wivenhoe Town Council

Other Community Groups

There are various other community groups operating in the district including Residents' Associations and local campaign groups. The Council keeps a database of groups that have indicated an interest in the Local Plan process in the past and will consult them as and when new documents are published.

Members of the Public

Directly affected residents

Residents directly affected by development proposals tend to raise concerns about the potential impacts of development on their property and their neighbourhood. Initially these residents might make very negative comments with a view to stopping the development altogether but with their local knowledge, some of the comments they make can lead to very positive improvements to development proposals either through the Local Plan process or Development Management process.

Where appropriate, directly affected residents will be notified directly either through a 'neighbour notification (a letter to their house) or by putting up a site notice near to the site. 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.

Residents of an affected community

In preparing a new version of the Local Plan, the Council will be considering a number of options for strategic development sites. Due to the scale of these developments, they are likely to be of interest to whole communities and not just adjoining neighbours. On confirmation of which options will be included in the Local Plan: Preferred Options draft, Planning Officers will determine which communities will be notified of the proposals, possibly through a leaflet to all homes within those communities.

Hard to reach groups

Some people in the community have less chance than others to get involved in the planning process, so are under-represented. It is important to broaden the opportunities to enable these "hard to reach" groups to be involved, including, for example, young people, the elderly, homeless, people with disabilities, temporary residents and ethnic minorities. See Chapter 7 for more information.

Other residents

Other residents in the district not directly affected by development proposals can obtain information about either the Local Plan or planning applications on the Council's website www.tendringdc.gov.uk and there will be publicity through the media aimed at notifying as many people as possible about the latest developments.