Local Plan - Preferred Options Consultation Document (Reg18)

3 Sustainable Places

3.1The Local Plan’s strategic objective for Sustainability is “To locate development within Tendring District where it will provide the opportunity for people to satisfy their needs for employment, shopping, education, and other services locally or in locations which minimise the need to travel and where there are modes of transport available which maximise opportunities for active and sustainable travel and minimise the need for car travel.”

Spatial Portrait

General Characteristics

3.2Within our District, the 2021 Census puts the population at approximately 148,300, with a population density of 441 usual residents per square kilometre. This is an increase of 7.4% since 2011. The predominant ethnic group is White British with a high percentage of the population describing themselves as such. The ethnic minority population was lower than the estimates for both the East of England and Essex.

3.3Recent decades have seen a trend towards an ageing population in the District and this is projected to continue in the future. The population of people aged 65 and over in the District increased by 17.8% between 2011 and 2021. The percentage of over 65s in Tendring District is higher than both the East of England and Essex percentages. In comparison, the number of people aged 15 to 64 grew by 3.2%, while the population of children under 15 grew by 5.1%.

3.4Based on the 2021 Census, there were 67,450 households in the Tendring District, the majority of which were within privately owned housing. Average household size in the District was 2.2 people, slightly lower than the national, regional and county averages. The average property price in August 2025 in Tendring District was £271,00; this is noticeably lower than average prices for England and Essex.

Economy

3.5Tendring District is connected to a network of major roads via the A120, A133 and A137, which provide routes to Chelmsford, London, the M25, London Stansted Airport and the Port of Felixstowe.

3.6Transportation provision in the District includes 14 railway stations with connections to Colchester, Ipswich and further afield. The average journey time between Clacton-on-Sea and London Liverpool Street is 1 hour 29 minutes and the journey time from Manningtree to London is just over 1 hour.

3.7There are numerous bus routes throughout the District including frequent inter-urban routes linking villages to the larger urban areas of the District and the large town of Colchester in the adjoining borough. The dispersed geography of the District means that there is a reliance on the use of private cars.

3.8The District includes Harwich International Port, a major deep-water facility that operates as a highly efficient, multi-purpose hub for freight and passenger services. The port handles container and bulk cargo, roll-on/roll-off traffic, and accommodates cruise ships, making it a key gateway for international trade and tourism. It also plays a strategic role in supporting the offshore renewable energy sector, providing operational and maintenance facilities for wind farms such as London Array, Gunfleet Sands, Greater Gabbard, Galloper, and the consented Five Estuaries project, alongside other potential future offshore renewable energy projects and grid upgrade initiatives.

3.9A state-of-the-art operations and maintenance base is already established within the port, and planning permission has been granted for a temporary Green Energy Hub at the planned and yet to be constructed Bathside Bay Container Terminal to the east of Harwich International Port. This hub will enable wind turbine storage, assembly, and servicing for a period of up to 15 years, reinforcing the port’s role in delivering renewable energy infrastructure.

3.10Freeport East developments are central to Tendring’s economic future, creating opportunities in clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and logistics. Harwich International Port and Bathside Bay remain strategic assets, with planned investments to enhance container handling and offshore energy capabilities. The Freeport designation offers tax and customs benefits, government funding, and retention of business rates, incentivising inward investment and supporting infrastructure costs. The Ports & Logistics sector has seen a 12.5% increase in employment between 2018–2023, reflecting the strategic importance of Freeport East and associated developments.

3.11Health and Care is the largest employment sector in Tendring, with over 6,500 jobs, including approximately 3,000 jobs in Care and Assisted Living, the vast majority in care homes (Economic Strategy, 2019). Tendring has more than 130 care homes, equating to 9.1 care homes per 10,000 population, the highest concentration in the UK. Future strategies focus on workforce development and integration with health services, particularly as the population aged 65+ is projected to rise by more than a third during the plan period (Tendring Economic Strategy Review, 2025).

3.12The Cultural, Visitor and Tourism sector continues to play a vital role in Tendring’s economy. Tourism is now worth approximately £450 million per annum to the District (Economic Impact Report, 2024). Many jobs are linked either directly to tourism, such as within hotels, caravan/chalet parks, visitor attractions or indirectly via shops, cafés, and restaurants. Recent investments (Clacton Pier £4m; Brook Park West £75m; Clacton Pavilion Water Park £1m) strengthen the visitor proposition.

3.13Retail remains a key contributor to local employment, with around 7,500 jobs in Tendring (ONS Business Register and Employment Survey, 2023, cited in Tendring Economic Strategy Review, 2025). However, the sector faces challenges from changing consumer habits and online shopping. Evidence indicates limited quantitative need for additional retail floorspace overall, while highlighting targeted capacity for convenience goods in specific towns and the importance of qualitative improvements to sustain vitality and viability (Retail Study Update, 2017; Retail and Town Centre Uses Study, 2020).

3.14Model-based unemployment figures for the District show that the unemployment rate was 5.1% in the year ending December 2023. This is an increase from the previous year ending December 2022 where the unemployment rate was 4.6%. These figures are based on a proportion of the District’s economically active population.

Social Characteristics

3.15In 2023 there were 1,214 births in the Tendring District. 2023 figures show life expectancy at birth in the District has been estimated as 77.4 years for men and 81.5 years for women, this is slightly lower than the estimates for England and Essex.

3.16For the school year 2024/25 there were 19,376 pupils attending 49 schools in Tendring District. This includes 40 primary schools serving 10,479 pupils and 9 secondary schools serving 8,897 pupils. The Essex School Organisation Service’s Ten Year Plan 2025-34, published in January 2025, sets out the requirement, supply and demand for places in mainstream primary and secondary schools and is updated annually.

3.17The latest forecast data (January 2024) from Essex County Council indicate that demand for mainstream school places will continue to rise with primary pupil numbers to reach 10,284 by the 2034/35 academic year. This forecast is consistent across the District. Corresponding secondary school numbers (including Sixth Form) also indicate that demand for mainstream school places will continue to rise with secondary pupil numbers to reach 7,551 by the 2034/35 academic year. Again, increased demand is expected across the District, with the greatest rise in demand expected to be in the Clacton area.

3.18The District rates relatively highly on the Index of Multiple Deprivation and Jaywick Sands ranks first within England. Education, skills and training levels are low in relation to other districts. The rate of households assessed as homeless in Tendring District was 7.4 per 1,000 in the period between April 2024 and March 2025. Households assessed as threatened with homelessness within the District is 4.6 per 1,000.

3.19According to Essex Police’s Performance Summary to August 2024, overall crime in Tendring District fell by 4.6%, and incidents of anti-social behaviour dropped by 13.5% between 2023 and 2024.

3.20Tendring's community has access to a wide range of Council-run services including three leisure centres with swimming pools, sports centres, recreation grounds, country parks and the Princes Theatre, with an 820-seat auditorium which hosts local events as well as attracting national and international entertainers. The Council also provides Careline, a subscription service which supports independent living.

Ecological Characteristics

3.21The District has large areas of unspoilt open countryside and a wealth of attractive natural and historic landscapes including areas of importance to nature conservation, particularly around our coast and estuaries. The District also contains many buildings of historic and architectural importance, many of which are within designated conservation areas. These assets are key to the District’s attractiveness and its tourism economy but, at the same time, are sensitive to the development pressures stemming from new jobs and homes needed to meet local demands and address the social and economic issues facing the District.

3.22In the northwest of the District is the Dedham Vale National Landscape, designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Made famous by the paintings of Constable and Gainsborough, its traditional grasslands, wildflower meadows and hedgerows provide an opportunity for both residents and visitors to enjoy the peace and beauty of what are among some of England’s most precious and vulnerable landscapes. The Suffolk Coast and Heaths National Landscape now covers parts of Tendring on the south side of the Stour Estuary. The District also has the Orwell and Stour Estuaries which are designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA), Ramsar site and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The Colne Estuary is designated as Essex Estuaries Special Area of Conservation (SAC) as well as SPA, Ramsar, and SSSI. The Hamford Water area is designated as SPA and SAC. The above sites are all key for the natural environment in regard to protection of habitats of migratory animals, endangered birds, scarce plants and invertebrates as well as the conservation of wetlands.

3.23The Naze at Walton, the most easterly peninsular in Essex, is a stunning and increasingly rare example of natural and wild coastline of geological and biological importance which benefits both visitors and wildlife alike. It is an important site for migrating and nesting birds including many rarities, with harbour porpoises out to sea, grey seals in the backwaters and a whole host of species to be found on the beaches and in the mud pools. The 70 foot (21m) high cliffs are an internationally important SSSI. These cliffs are made up of London Clay, Red Crag and Thames sands and contain many fossils, such as shark’s teeth, shells and wood, which can frequently be found on the beaches. The Naze is rich in history and is dominated by the Naze Tower, built in 1720 by Trinity House to mark the premonitory to shipping approaching Harwich Harbour. The Tower is now open to the public during the summer months and provides a gallery for the display of works by local artists and craftspeople and boasts a 360-degree view of the surrounding land and seascapes from its viewing platform.

3.24The District has a rich geodiversity which is varied and largely irreplaceable. There are 10 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in the District, notified specifically for their geological value.

3.25The countryside in the District is one of its key assets both in terms of tourism and the living environment for our residents. The Council, working with the Essex Wildlife Trust, has identified over 100 Local Wildlife Sites (LoWS) in the Tendring District including meadowland, grasslands, churchyards and ancient woodlands. LoWS are areas of land with significant wildlife value which provide important wildlife refuges and a green infrastructure network and, although these sites are not protected by law, they are worthy of nature conservation and are protected by planning policy.

3.26With over 37 miles (60 Km) of coastline, the District contains a number of areas at high risk from tidal flooding and coastal erosion. There is risk of fluvial flooding or surface water flooding elsewhere in the District. The Essex and South Suffolk Shoreline Management Plan (SMP), prepared in partnership between the Environment Agency, Essex County Council and District Councils, is a strategy for managing flooding and coastal erosion over the next 100 years, in three time periods. The main aims of the SMP are to protect all dwellings and key infrastructure against flooding and erosion, to sustain the quality of the natural and historic environment and to allow natural shoreline evolution where possible to take place.

3.27The ‘Hold the Line’ strategy, maintaining the existing defence line, can be seen in the Coastal Protection Scheme between Clacton and Holland-on-Sea. In 2014 the Clacton to Holland-on-Sea Coastal Protection Scheme was implemented to provide protection to more than 3,000 homes and commercial premises which would otherwise be at serious risk from erosion by the sea during the next 100 years.

Heritage Characteristics

3.28Our District has more than 960 Listed Buildings. The District also benefits from 27 Scheduled Monuments which include above and below ground features, 4 Registered Historic Parks and Gardens as designated by Historic England and 9 Protected Lanes, preserved for their historic indication of ancient road patterns in the District. The District also contains 20 Conservation Areas.

3.29The historic centres of Harwich, Manningtree, Mistley and St Osyth contain many impressive and unique historic buildings and monuments. Within these areas there is a greater likelihood of archaeological remains due to their complex history and development of their communities over many centuries. These centres are sensitive to development in much the same way as is the ecology of an environmentally important area. Outside of these designated areas, the District’s largely rural character and long history of occupation results in many areas of high archaeological importance as well as a range of listed buildings, conservation areas and scheduled monuments.

3.30Some of the more notable heritage assets within our District include the St Osyth Priory Gatehouse (Scheduled monument, grade I listed building) an important example of monastic building of the Augustinian Order whose façade has one of the best-preserved examples of knapped flint and stone flushwork in East Anglia. The impressive 18th century Mistley Towers (Scheduled monument, grade I listed building), the remains of a church designed by Robert Adam. The Harwich Redoubt (Scheduled monument, grade ll* listed building) a circular fort which supported 10 gun embrasures, completed in 1810 to defend the harbour against invasion during the Napoleonic War. These are just a few examples of the heritage assets within the District.

Socio-Environmental Characteristics

3.31Tendring District’s potable drinking water comes from Ardleigh Reservoir. The reservoir covers 120 acres and, as well as providing the District with drinking water, is also used for recreational activities including sailing and fishing.

3.32In 2022/23, the Council’s total Carbon Dioxide emission were 3,909 tonnes The Council has aligned its targets with the UK’s national objectives to achieve Net Zero by 2050 as mentioned in the Climate Action Plan 2024-2027.

3.33Increase in development and use of renewable energy has seen the installation of both off and onshore wind farms in the District. The Orsted Gunfleet Sands 48 turbine offshore Wind Farm has the capacity to provide approximately 100,000 homes with ‘clean electricity’ in the years to come making a considerable reduction in Carbon Dioxide emissions. Its sister operation, Galloper Offshore Wind Farm, became fully operational in March 2018. Galloper is maintained from the Operations & Maintenance facility at Harwich International Port. Galloper alone generates enough energy to power up to 380,000 average UK households per year. The 5-turbine onshore Wind Farm at Earls Hall has the capacity to generate ‘clean electricity’ for approximately 6,300 homes and will reduce Carbon Dioxide emissions by 15,000 tonnes per year. Approval was granted for Solar Farms in Wix and Bradfield, these have been delivered, which together will have the capacity to generate ‘clean electricity’ for approximately 3,409 homes.

3.34The Five Estuaries Offshore Wind Farm, recently granted a Development Consent Order by the Government, is yet to be constructed but will comprise up to 79 turbines with the capacity to generate clean electricity for approximately 800,000 typical UK homes each year. Similarly, the planned North Falls Offshore Wind Farm, located off the Tendring coastline to the north-east of Clacton, will consist of up to 57 turbines and is expected to supply clean electricity to around 400,000 homes annually.

3.35National Grid is progressing a major infrastructure initiative known as the Norwich to Tilbury Project, which aims to upgrade and reinforce the electricity transmission network to accommodate increased renewable generation and improve grid resilience. This project, which includes new high-voltage transmission lines and substations, is as of 2026 at the proposal stage and has not yet received consent.

Neighbourhood Planning

3.36The 2011 Localism Act introduced the concept of Neighbourhood Planning, giving communities a greater say in shaping development in their area. Under this legislation, Town and Parish Councils, or other ‘qualifying bodies’, can prepare Neighbourhood Plans to complement the policies and proposals in this Local Plan. These plans provide an opportunity for local communities to influence how growth happens in their area and, where appropriate, to allow additional development that meets locally identified needs.

3.37To be accepted, Neighbourhood Plans must meet a set of basic conditions. They must:

• have appropriate regard to national policy;
• contribute to the achievement of sustainable development;
• be in general conformity with strategic policies in the Local Plan; and
• be compatible with legal obligations, including habitats and human rights requirements.

3.38Once adopted, a Neighbourhood Plan becomes part of the statutory development plan for the District, sitting alongside the Local Plan and carrying legal weight in the determination of planning applications. Tendring District Council will continue to advise and support Town and Parish Councils and other qualifying bodies throughout the process of preparing Neighbourhood Plans, ensuring they are robust, deliverable and aligned with wider planning objectives.

Presumption in Favour of Sustainable Development

3.39As required by the Government, the Council will apply a presumption in favour of sustainable development in accordance with guidance in the National Planning Policy Framework.

Spatial Strategy

3.40Growth in employment, housing and other development needs to be carefully managed to achieve an appropriate balance between economic, social and environmental considerations; ensure alignment with infrastructure provision; and to avoid, where possible, unsustainable developments in remote and poorly accessible locations.

3.41The settlement hierarchy set out in Policy SPL1 below prioritises locations with access to public transport and/or the strategic road network and which have the potential to offer the widest range of services, infrastructure and facilities. It also identifies locations where new settlements (Garden Communities or Garden Villages) can be developed at a scale, supported by growth in employment opportunities, that will justify and deliver their own services, infrastructure and facilities to minimise pressure on other towns and villages and the necessity for new residents to travel long distances for work and every-day services.

3.42The Council’s previous Local Plan included a spatial strategy for delivering 11,000 new homes and 37 hectares of new employment land over the 20-year period 2013-2033 which notably included proposals for major long-term growth on land around Clacton and the establishment of the Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community as a joint project with Colchester City Council and which is the subject of its own Development Plan Document (DPD). However, following the change in Government in 2024 and the introduction of significant changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), Councils are now required to plan for significantly larger increases in housing development in line with new mandatory housebuilding targets calculated using a revised standard methodology.

3.43In reviewing the Local Plan, as required every five years, the Council has needed to revisit the spatial strategy for growth in order to accommodate a substantial increase in housebuilding in order to comply with the Government’s new mandatory targets. The Council must now plan for a total of just over 18,000 new homes between 2025 and 2042. Approximately 10,700 of these homes are expected to be delivered on developments carried forward from the last Local Plan, sites that, in 2025, had already obtained planning permission for housing or were otherwise already under construction, and homes that are anticipated to come forward on small sites and through windfall development.

3.44To accommodate and deliver the additional 7,300+ homes and further sites for employment, it has been necessary for the Council to update the spatial strategy in the Local Plan to identify new locations for growth – including major growth in the Harwich area, the establishment of new ‘Garden Villages’ in three locations (Hare Green, Horsley Cross and Weeley) alongside further proportionate levels of additional housing growth in and around the District’s other towns and villages.

3.45The settlement hierarchy in Policy SPL1 categorises settlements and locations in respect of their role in accommodating future growth and provides the overarching framework for achieving a sustainable pattern of growth across the District which, in turn, underpins decisions on the location and scale of development proposed for different locations

Settlement Hierarchy

Strategic Urban Settlements and Garden Community

3.46‘Strategic Urban settlements’ have the largest existing populations and areas of economic activity along with the widest range of existing infrastructure and facilities, making them the most sustainable locations for potential future growth. These settlements provide better opportunities for the use of public transport, walking and cycling to get from place to place and, because they have established town centres, employment areas and infrastructure, they provide locations where, with the right action, it is possible to create a significant number of additional new jobs and deliver sustainable housing growth on a larger scale – and which can assist in addressing local issues of deprivation.

3.47For the Tendring District, the settlements that fall within this category are Clacton-on-Sea (including the Jaywick Sands and Holland on Sea areas), Harwich and Dovercourt (including Parkeston, Little Oakley village and part of Ramsey) and, in part, our neighbouring City of Colchester which partially extends into the administrative area of Tendring within the Parish of Ardleigh. To deliver economic growth in each of these areas, this Local Plan contains proposals for new employment sites, investment in town centres and improvements to the infrastructure.

3.48To deliver economic growth in each of these principal locations, this Local Plan (and that of Colchester City Council in respect of Colchester’s wider urban area) contains proposals for new employment sites, investment in town centres and improvements to infrastructure. In applying a sustainable approach to the distribution of housing growth that addresses the government’s mandatory targets, there are limits to how much additional housing development these locations can realistically deliver, but Clacton, Harwich and the Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community (described below) are expected to accommodate around half of the District’s increase in housing stock over the plan period to 2042 – with the likelihood that some development in these locations will continue beyond 2042 to contribute towards longer-term requirements.

3.49The Garden Community and the strategic housing and mixed-use developments proposed for Clacton are carried forward as proposals from the Council’s last Local Plan but the housing and employment growth for the Harwich area has been increased substantially to reflect both the need to deliver higher housebuilding targets in a sustainable way and the increasing opportunities for employment growth following the designation of ‘Freeport East’ and associated progress towards the development of a container port and interim Green Energy Hub at Bathside Bay and other growing business interest.

Garden Communities and Garden Villages

3.50Outside of Clacton, Harwich and the Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community, the potential for other towns and villages in Tendring to expand to meet the substantially increased targets for housebuilding and employment growth is more constrained by limitations on the availability of suitable land (including the coast); the adequacy and range of transport and other infrastructure; and the nature of the economy and realistic potential for business growth and job creation.

3.51Therefore, in addition to the new Garden Community on the border with Colchester, this Local Plan also identifies locations for the establishment of three new ‘Garden Villages’ in central parts of the District that can achieve a scale of development planned in a comprehensive manner to incorporate and support the delivery of new employment opportunities and the delivery of key improvements to the strategic transport network; as well as new services and infrastructure including utilities, shops, schools, open spaces and other community facilities. The three new Garden Village locations are Hare Green at the interchange of the A120 and A133 (extending across the parishes of Frating and Great Bromley); Horsley Cross on the A120/B1035 interchange; and Weeley at the A133/B1034 interchange.

3.52Because of the critical mass of development required to necessitate, justify and fund brand new infrastructure such as schools and major transport improvements, and the time needed in the planning phase to properly develop masterplans with meaningful community involvement, it is only realistic to expect a proportion of the total development envisaged in these locations to be achievable within the Local Plan period to 2042. The larger Garden Villages proposed at Hare Green and Horsley Cross in particularly will take a number of years to plan and development is likely to continue past 2042 to address longer-term growth requirements that will carry forward into future Local Plan reviews.

3.53Together, the Garden Villages at Hare Green, Horsley Cross and Weeley could deliver around 10,000 homes in total over 20-30 years, of which between 4,000 and 5,000 could be built within the Local Plan period to 2042. This represents around a quarter of the total housing development proposed across the District to meet the requirement up to 2042, alongside new employment sites, key facilities and infrastructure.

Smaller Urban Settlements

3.54Following the District’s Strategic Urban Settlements and the proposed Garden Communities and Garden Villages in strategically important locations, the next logical step in identifying location for accommodating growth is to consider Smaller Urban Settlements, of which Tendring has three.

3.55Although smaller in size than the Strategic Urban Settlements, the Smaller Urban Settlements of Frinton, Walton and Kirby Cross; Manningtree Lawford and Mistley; and Brightlingsea have large populations in comparison to rural settlements and benefit from a range of existing infrastructure and facilities. These settlements provide a range of opportunities for the use of public transport, walking and cycling and because they have established town centres, employment areas and infrastructure, they provide locations where, with the right action, it is possible to create a significant number of additional new jobs and deliver sustainable housing growth on a large scale.

3.56However, these urban areas saw significant growth over the period of the last Local Plan and there are practical limits to how much additional growth could be accommodated (particularly given their sensitive coastal locations) – but there will be a need and demand for new homes in these areas and some scope for a proportionate amount of additional development in contributing towards the overall growth of the District.

3.57In applying a sustainable and proportionate approach to the distribution of housing growth outside of the Strategic Urban Settlements, Garden Community and Garden Villages, the Smaller Urban Settlements will between them deliver around 2,200 new homes (around 12% of all homes in Tendring over the plan period 2025-2042 – many of which were already under construction in 2025. Any additional development will be of scale that is proportionate - having regard to the existing size and character of each settlement; their range of jobs, shops, services and facilities; and any physical, environmental or infrastructure constraints.

Rural Service Centres

3.58Six villages are classed as ‘Rural Service Centres’, these are Alresford, Elmstead Market, Great Bentley, Little Clacton, St. Osyth, and Thorpe-le-Soken. For these larger villages, the Local Plan identifies opportunities for proportionate, achievable and sustainable levels of growth that reflect the existing size and character of each settlement; the existence of some, albeit a more limited range of jobs, shops, services and facilities; and any physical, environmental or infrastructure constraints.

3.59Over the period of the last Local Plan, some of these villages accommodated a significant and higher than expected amount of new housing development, particularly following a number of planning appeal decisions, with some developments still underway in 2025 and expected to deliver homes in the early part of this Local Plan period.

3.60Such is the scale of housing growth required in Tendring up to 2042 however, these villages will need to accommodate a proportion of this growth and a sensible level of additional development is proposed through this Local Plan – with more focused on those villages with railway stations. Together with current developments that are already underway, these additional homes will make a meaningful contribution toward addressing local housing needs, supporting the village economy and assisting with the overall housing growth proposed for the District.

3.61It is anticipated that the Rural Service Centres will, between them, deliver around 1,600 homes (around 9% of new homes in Tendring) over the plan period to 2042.

Smaller Rural Settlements

3.62Other smaller villages within Tendring District’s rural heartland have much less in the way of job opportunities, local services, facilities and other infrastructure. Residents of these smaller villages are often reliant on neighbouring towns and villages for work, shopping and other services and frequently need to travel distances either by public transport (if it is available) or, more often than not, by private car.

3.63Because of this, these smaller villages are considered to be the least sustainable locations for growth and there is a concern that encouraging too much development in these areas will only serve to increase the number of people having to rely on cars to go about their everyday lives – unless development is of a scale, as proposed for the Garden Community and Garden Villages, that will deliver their own shops, jobs, services, facilities and infrastructure.

3.64Smaller villages are still under pressure to grow and some small-scale development that is sympathetic to the rural and often historic character of the settlement might help younger people to continue to live in the village or area in which they grew up, keep local shops and services viable and help bring balance to an ageing population. Particular attention in these instances must be given to school travel and any expansion needs of existing rural schools.

3.65Most of the District’s smaller rural settlements can achieve a small-scale increase in housing stock over the plan period. To allow for this to happen, Settlement Development Boundaries have been drawn flexibly, where practical, to accommodate a range of sites both within and on the edge of the villages and thus enabling them to be considered for small-scale residential ‘infill’ developments. provided that it does not detrimentally impact the historic and natural environment.

3.66Developments proposed in these areas will be smaller than elsewhere in the District and should be accommodated in respectful way that maintains the character of the village whilst still making an important contribution to meeting housing requirements and which can deliver quickly, offering work opportunities for local housebuilders and tradespersons. Where it is needed, additional housing on the edge of smaller rural settlements can be delivered through the rural exceptions policy (LP6) to deliver affordable housing and through the self-build and custom-built policy (LP7) which offers a means by which people can build their own home.

Settlement Development Boundaries

3.67To achieve a sustainable increase in housing stock, a significant number of new homes will come forward on sites which in April 2025 already had extant planning permission for new housing. The remaining requirement will be delivered on sites that are specifically allocated for housing or mixed-use development, supplemented by other suitable sites within the Settlement Development Boundaries in this Local Plan. Alongside the planned developments, it is likely that a number of currently unidentified ‘windfall’ sites will obtain planning permission for housing in accordance with the policies in this Local Plan during the plan period. In general terms, development outside of defined Settlement Development Boundaries will be the subject of strict control to protect and enhance the character and openness of the countryside. However, there are certain forms of development, specifically supported by relevant policies in this Local Plan, that can and sometimes need to take place in these areas, some of which can bring about positive outcomes for the rural economy.

Sustainable Design

3.68Policy SPL3 contains the design criteria against which every planning application for development will be considered. Part A of the policy provides the local planning criteria for ensuring development is well designed and relates well to its surroundings. Part B ensures that practical requirements have been addressed and Part C ensures that any potential impacts on surrounding uses and/or the local environment are identified and measures are put in place to ensure any adverse impacts are minimised.

3.69The Council encourages early use of design review tools and frameworks, particularly in large scale and mixed-use developments, including Building for a Healthy Life, Sport England’s Active Design Principles, Essex Design Guide’s Healthy Places checklist, and Homes England’s toolkit, to ensure high-quality, healthy and sustainable design outcomes. In assessing applications, the Council will have regard to the outcome from these processes, including any recommendations made by design review panels.