Local Plan - Submission Version (Regulation 19)

5.15The supply of housing throughout the Local Plan period will be supplemented by proposals for rural exception schemes, and self and custom build developments. Together with the allocations identified in this Local Plan, these sources provide a robust, realistic and deliverable strategy for meeting the District's housing needs over the period 2026-2043. The Council is satisfied that the strategy is supported by appropriate evidence relating to infrastructure provision, transport impacts, flood risk, habitat mitigation, viability, landscape and heritage considerations. The broad areas allocated for housing and mixed-use development in this Local Plan are shown on the relevant Policies Map Insets and supported by locality-based maps in the appendices of this document. 

5.16In accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework, the Council will monitor the delivery of new housing on an annual basis and publish the results in its Authority Monitoring Report. The Council will seek to ensure that, in any one year, there is sufficient land available to deliver a minimum of the next 5-years’ worth of new housing plus the appropriate buffer to allow flexibility in the market for land, taking into account any under-provision or over-provision from the previous year(s).

Housing Choice

5.17As well as planning for a significant increase in housing development, the National Planning Policy Framework requires Councils to plan for a mix of new housing based on current and future demographic trends, market trends and different groups within the community. The Housing and Economic Development Needs Assessments section of the National Planning Practice Guidance details how affordable housing need should be calculated. It defines affordable housing need as the ‘number of households and projected households who lack their own housing or live in unsuitable housing and who cannot afford to meet their housing needs in the market.’

5.18 The assessment consists of four broad stages to calculate affordable housing need:

• an assessment of the current gross unmet need for affordable housing;
• an assessment of the newly arising need for housing;
• an assessment of the current affordable housing supply;
• an assessment of future affordable housing supply.

5.19Within each of the four stages, there are a number of detailed calculations, many of which themselves have a number of components. The Tendring Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA), published in March 2025, updates the evidence on the type, tenure and size of homes required. The SHMA identifies a net annual affordable housing need of 275 homes per year, taking into account current unmet need, newly‑forming households and the anticipated supply of affordable homes. This represents around a quarter of the overall annual housing target and demonstrates a sustained and pressing need for affordable housing in the District.

5.20 The update suggests there is likely to be a demand for a range of dwelling size, type and tenure over the plan period. It is estimated that around 74.1 % of the need for new housing up to 2043 will be for ‘market housing’ available to buy or rent at open market values, and around 25.9 % of the need for housing will be for ‘affordable housing’ (made up of Social/Affordable Rent, Shared Ownership and First Homes), to be made available by the Council or other registered providers at lower than market prices to meet the needs of people and families with lower incomes that cannot afford to buy or rent property on the open market.

5.21The tenure profile from the update, suggests there will be a need for 69.3% of all homes to be owner occupied, 20.0% private rented, 1.2% shared ownership and 9.5 % social/affordable rented. To meet this tenure distribution the proportion of tenure completions would be 60.8% owner occupied, 20.5% private rented, 4.1% shared ownership and 14.6% social/affordable rent.

5.22In terms of dwelling size, for owner occupied, the share required for the new housing stock is 23.1% one bedroom, 27.1% two bedroom, 23.1% three bedroom and 26.7% four or more bedrooms. For private rented, the change required is 24.7% one bedroom, 26.1% two bedroom, 25.2% three bedroom and 24.1% four plus bedrooms.

5.23 The Council's evidence base also identifies an increasing need for specialist and supported accommodation arising from demographic change, an ageing population and the diverse needs of local communities. The Essex Supported and Specialist and Supported Housing and Accommodation Needs Assessment (SSHANA) identifies the need for a broad range of accommodation solutions, including housing for older people, people with disabilities, those requiring supported living arrangements, armed forces veterans and other groups with specific housing and support needs. The Council will seek to ensure that the overall housing stock delivered through this Local Plan contributes towards meeting these identified needs alongside the requirements identified in the Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA).

5.24The Council also supports the delivery of homes that enable residents to remain independent within their communities for longer. Developers are encouraged to have regard to recognised good practice, including ECCs Supported and Specialist and Supported Housing and Accommodation Needs Assessment (SSHANA 2025) relating to accessible, adaptable and dementia-friendly housing design, particularly within developments intended to meet the needs of older residents and those with additional support requirements.

Housing Density

5.25It is important that the density of housing development supports a high quality of life for residents, reflects the location’s accessibility to local services, provides appropriate internal floor space and private outdoor amenity space, delivers a suitable mix of housing types and sizes, and responds positively to the character of the surrounding area. Applicants should clearly demonstrate how they have engaged with and applied relevant guidance from the following documents: Building for a Healthy Life (2020), Active Design Principles (2023), Essex Healthy Places (2023), and Livewell Accreditation (2019). Proposals should reflect the principles set out in these frameworks to promote healthier, more inclusive and sustainable communities. Higher densities may be appropriate in town centres to support retail, public transport, walking and cycling and minimising greenfield development. The Council recognises that development density can also play a role in supporting the delivery of community-scale water efficiency and rainwater reuse systems. Evidence indicates that such systems may become increasingly viable at higher densities, potentially from around 60 dwellings per hectare, subject to site-specific considerations and appropriate technical assessment.

Development Layout & Design

5.26The National Planning Policy Framework states that the supply of new homes can sometimes best be achieved through planning for larger scale developments that follow the principles of ‘Garden Cities’.

5.27Due to the lack of available brownfield land, the Council has no choice but to promote the expansion of towns and villages onto greenfield land to deliver the District’s future housing targets. The Council wants to embrace the principles of the Garden City movement as a means of bringing about social and economic improvements in the District. The Council will therefore only support large scale housing and mixed-use developments if they are well designed, integrated with the existing environment and contribute positively towards the ‘sense of place’.

5.28Examples of residential areas in the Tendring District that display these characteristics are the Avenues area of Frinton-on-Sea, the Gardens area of Clacton-on-Sea and inter-war developments in Tewkesbury, Thornbury and Severn Roads, Douglas Road, Vicarage Gardens, Clacton; and the majority of Holland-on-Sea.

5.29The Council expects development to create inclusive and accessible environments that can be used safely and independently by all members of the community. In preparing development proposals, applicants should have regard to relevant inclusive design guidance, including the Essex Design Guide and, where appropriate, principles relating to dementia-friendly design and age-friendly environments.

5.30Green infrastructure should be planned as multifunctional infrastructure delivering benefits for health and wellbeing, biodiversity, climate resilience, sustainable drainage, recreation and place-making. Development should have regard to relevant local green infrastructure standards and strategies where applicable.

5.31Where flood risk exists within a site, the layout of development should be informed by a sequential approach that directs the most vulnerable uses towards areas of lowest flood risk, taking account of climate change and the requirements of national policy.

Affordable Housing

5.32The Council’s Strategic Housing Market Assessment suggests that over the plan period there will be demand for new ‘affordable housing’ in our District to cater for people and families with low incomes who cannot afford to buy or rent property on the open market. Extensive public consultation with our residents suggests that the concept of affordable housing is supported, especially to give younger people a fair chance to live and work in the area. However, there is a concern that if this housing is not properly managed and there are no strict controls on who can and cannot qualify, it could encourage people from outside of Tendring to move to the area for affordable accommodation, placing people with long-standing local connections at a disadvantage.

5.33 To tackle this issue, the Council has carefully reviewed its policies on who can and cannot qualify for affordable housing to give priority to those people who have lived, and ideally worked, in the District for at least three years. The Council will still have a statutory duty to meet the needs of people from outside the District if they have a particular urgent need for housing, but in the majority of cases, local people will be given priority. The Council also proposes to deliver affordable housing in the form of ‘Council Housing’, managed and maintained directly by Tendring District Council, to ensure that these rules are properly enforced. Specialist affordable/market homes such as starter homes and key worker homes will be delivered as market or affordable homes as appropriate.

5.34 The latest viability evidence prepared to inform this Local Plan Review demonstrates that, when all policy requirements are taken into account (including contributions to infrastructure, design and environmental standards, and the provision of green and blue infrastructure) a requirement of 20% affordable housing on all sites of 10 or more dwellings represents an appropriate and deliverable level across the District. This approach ensures that sites remain viable while continuing to make a meaningful contribution to meeting identified affordable housing needs. Reflecting their strategic scale and masterplanned approach to delivery, the two new proposed Garden Villages are expected to provide 30% affordable housing, consistent with the wider objectives for these developments to deliver comprehensive, infrastructure‑led communities over the long term.

5.35Policy LP5 requires that, outside of the Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community and the proposed Garden Villages at Hare Green and Horsley Cross, any development creating 10 or more net new homes, or any housing development on a site of one hectare or more, must provide 20% of new dwellings (including conversions) as affordable housing. These homes must be made available for Tendring District Council, or a nominated partner such as a registered provider or trust, to acquire at a discounted rate for affordable housing use.

5.36To guard against the possibility of sites being split or developed in phases to avoid the above size thresholds and the requirement to provide affordable housing, the 20% requirement will also apply in instances where two or more adjoining developments, when taken together, exceed the thresholds; and where it would be reasonable to consider the developments in combination.

5.37A lesser amount of affordable housing than required by Policy LP5 will only be considered where robust evidence is provided to demonstrate that the development would not be economically viable as a result of the affordable housing requirement. Such evidence will be independently tested, at the applicant’s cost, as necessary. In certain exceptional circumstances, the Council might also consider alternative approaches to the provision of affordable housing such as financial contributions towards off-site provision, the transfer of a low number of homes to the Council or a local housing trust at nominal cost or a combination of the two.

Rural Exception Sites

5.38To enable the delivery of affordable housing in rural areas, the Rural Exception Scheme allows small developments on a site which abuts or is well-related to the Settlement Development Boundary of a ‘Rural Service Centre’ or ‘Smaller Rural Settlement’ as defined by the spatial hierarchy. Such sites should be located so as to provide future occupiers with reasonable access to local services and facilities and, wherever practicable, opportunities for walking, wheeling, cycling and access to public transport, consistent with the wider objectives of the Local Plan. These can come forward as an exception to normal settlement policy. Such schemes are intended to meet the housing needs of local people unable to afford accommodation in the villages where they live or have close local family or employment ties. The rural exception policy will be particularly useful in delivering additional housing in rural settlements where only limited growth (relative to the overall housing need as set out above) is proposed and where the affordable housing is not likely to be otherwise delivered. Where Parishes have identified a need for local housing in an area, it can still be difficult to encourage landowners to sell their land below open market residential values. To address this, there is a provision for a maximum of one open market home in three homes on sites put forward by the Parish Council or through the Community Right to Build; or a maximum of two in three dwellings can be as open market homes where at least half of those open market homes (rounded up if necessary) is for self and custom-build in line with Policy LP7.

5.39 In selecting Rural Exception Sites, applicants should have regard to the accessibility of the site for future residents and its relationship to the existing settlement. Proposals should, wherever practicable, be located where safe and suitable access can be achieved for all users and where the development would not give rise to unacceptable highway safety issues. The Council will also have regard to the provisions of Policies CP1, CP2 and other relevant policies relating to sustainable transport, accessibility and place-making.

5.40In considering planning applications for affordable local needs housing, the Council must be provided with evidence to show a scheme meets a demonstrated local need. Such evidence should define the local client group requiring housing and their specific housing requirements.

5.41In addition, information detailing the number, size and tenure of dwellings proposed (e.g. rental units or shared ownership) will be required. Otherwise, the exceptional need for a proposal, in particular whether it meets or contributes to the identified local need, cannot be established. In such circumstances, a detailed planning application will normally be needed.

5.42It is essential to demonstrate that the proposed housing realistically meets or contributes to the identified local need and will be exclusively reserved and managed in perpetuity as affordable housing for the long-term benefit of the local community. Therefore, arrangements which will secure this must be in place before planning permission is granted and when the rental values or selling prices are accurately predicted. These would normally take the form of voluntary planning obligations and covenants offered by the agency involved in managing the scheme and agreed by the landowner, the developer and the Council. Management of the scheme by Tendring District Council or an alternative housing association, charitable trust or similar organisation will generally offer the required assurances. Restricting the occupation of property to people falling within the identified categories of local need will ensure that units remain affordable.

Self-Build and Custom-Built Homes

5.43The National Planning Policy Framework requires Councils to plan for a mix of housing based on the needs of different groups in the community which includes people wishing to build their own homes as a Self-Build or Custom-Built home. The majority of the new homes that will be built in Tendring up to 2043 will be on sites specifically allocated for development which tend to be acquired by volume house builders and local developers who will aim to deliver new housing to meet the needs of the mass market. However, this leaves few opportunities for the construction of individual properties of high-quality and locally distinctive design, larger more spacious properties for the higher end of the market and self-build ‘grand designs’ for people wanting to build a home to live in themselves.

5.44The strategic priorities of this Local Plan focus heavily on the need to deliver economic growth, tackle unemployment and deprivation and improve the long-term prospects of future generations. Alongside measures to attract businesses, rejuvenate town centres and create more jobs, the Council’s Economic Development Strategy suggests that delivering the right mix of housing is critical to the future of the District’s economy. By enabling opportunities to deliver self-build homes within the overall mix of new housing over the plan period, the District can go some way in providing attractive high-quality properties that local people can aspire to live in and stay close to their family. The opportunities to build such properties could also help to encourage high-earners and people with entrepreneurial spirit to live in the District who will have disposable income to spend in the local economy and who have the potential to invest in local business opportunities.

5.45The Council maintains a Self-Build and Custom Housebuilding Register in accordance with national legislation, to monitor local demand for self-build and custom-built homes. The register provides the primary source of evidence on the demand for self‑build housing in the District, and current monitoring shows that the Council is not presently meeting the level of demand indicated by entries on the register within the statutory timeframe. Policy LP7 therefore sets out the circumstances under which aspirational or self‑build homes may be supported outside of settlement development boundaries but within reasonable proximity of the District’s defined settlements. For larger developments of 150 dwellings or more, the policy requires a small proportion (2%) of serviced plots to be made available for self‑build or custom‑build housing, helping to diversify the local housing supply and respond to evidenced demand.

5.46Paragraph 84 of the National Planning Policy Framework requires Councils to avoid the development of isolated homes in the countryside unless there are special circumstances which, amongst others, can include a “design of exceptional quality, in that it is truly outstanding, reflecting the highest standards in architecture, and would help to raise standards of design more generally in rural areas”. Policy LP7 therefore sets out the circumstances under which aspirational or self-build homes could be built outside of settlement development boundaries but within a reasonable proximity of the District’s defined settlements.

Backland Residential Development

5.47“Backland” developments are, for the purposes of Policy LP8 below, defined as the proposed erection of one or more dwelling houses on a parcel of land:

• which lies generally behind the line of existing frontage development;
• has little or no frontage to existing public highway; and
• which would constitute piecemeal development in that it does not form part of a large area allocated for development.

5.48Typical sites include the back gardens of existing dwellings, “tandem” development sites of the kind found in Jaywick Sands, smallholdings, yards, or small vacant sites. On these sites, it will often be difficult to achieve the design requirements of this Local Plan due to a combination of location, restricted access and intensity of residential use in the vicinity.

5.49 The main problems that can arise as a result of backland development include: undermining the established character of an area (especially if similar schemes were to be repeated elsewhere in a locality); dwelling plots appearing cramped relative to their surroundings; the fragmentation of established gardens with a loss of mature landscaping; and the infringement of neighbouring residents’ amenities. Development behind an established building line can also appear incongruous, particularly isolated dwellings. To avoid these problems, backland development requires particularly thorough planning, and Policy LP8 provides specific criteria that the Council will apply in such proposals. The policy is not intended to prevent backland development in principle. Rather, it seeks to ensure that proposals are responsive to their particular context and achieve high standards of design whilst safeguarding residential amenity, local character, accessibility and functionality. Well-designed backland development can make an important contribution towards housing delivery and the efficient use of land where it can be accommodated without giving rise to unacceptable impacts.

5.50There must also be proper means of access to backland development, which is safe and convenient for both drivers and pedestrians, with a turning area where necessary to avoid the need for vehicles to reverse onto a public highway. A proposed access that is uncharacteristically elongated or constrained in width can often result in poor integration with the surrounding built environment. Such driveways can appear visually intrusive, undermine the established grain of development, and signal harmful overdevelopment by forcing new dwellings into confined plots. Whether an access is considered unacceptably long, narrow or constrained will depend on the individual circumstances of the site and its surroundings. The Council will have regard to matters including highway safety, pedestrian accessibility, servicing requirements, emergency access, the character of the area and the quality of the overall design solution. The presence of a longer access route will not, in itself, necessarily indicate that a proposal is unacceptable.

5.51Narrow driveways may also pose safety concerns, particularly for pedestrians and people with disabilities, due to limited visibility, lack of dedicated walking space, and inadequate separation from vehicles. Policy LP8 seeks to discourage these forms of access where they are out of keeping with the local character, compromise safety, or suggest an inappropriate intensity of development. Moreover, new access arrangement should avoid excessive disturbance or loss of privacy to neighbouring residents through, for example, an access drive passing unreasonably close to an adjoining dwelling. The likely frequency of use by vehicular traffic and the suitability of the access for service vehicles and the emergency services will also be relevant material considerations. In applying Policy LP8, the Council will take a proportionate and site-specific approach. Proposals that demonstrate safe and suitable access arrangements, provide satisfactory conditions for all users, and integrate successfully with their surroundings will be considered on their individual merits.

5.52 “Tandem” development consists of a dwelling or dwellings immediately behind an existing residential frontage which are served by a shared access. Such forms of development can often be unsatisfactory due to access constraints, as well as the potential for increased disturbance, loss of privacy and conflicts between the occupiers of the frontage and rear properties. However, the acceptability of tandem or other forms of backland development will often depend on the specific characteristics of the site and the extent to which the proposal satisfies the criteria set out in Policy LP8. In reaching a balanced planning judgement, the Council will have regard to matters including access arrangements, plot layout, residential amenity, landscaping, design quality, and the prevailing character and grain of development within the surrounding area.

Gypsy and Traveller Sites

5.53The latest Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment (GTAA) for all local planning authorities in Essex was commissioned jointly by the Councils in line with the legal duty to cooperate and follows a consistent methodology. The findings for Tendring were updated through the Pitch Delivery Assessment prepared in 2026. The current and projected future need for Gypsy and Traveller accommodation up to 2043 is 45 pitches.

5.54The GTAA expresses accommodation needs and site capacity in terms of pitches (or “pitch equivalents”). Whilst the identified need is quantified as a number of pitches for consistency with national planning policy and guidance, the GTAA recognises that in some circumstances accommodation needs can be met through alternative forms of provision, including the intensification or reconfiguration of existing sites, additional mobile homes on existing pitches, or the provision of additional touring caravans where appropriate. Accordingly, the capacity identified for allocated sites in this Local Plan represents the additional accommodation capacity that can reasonably be achieved and does not necessarily require the provision of an equivalent number of physically separate new pitches.

5.55Longer-term provision will be delivered as part of major strategic growth locations, including the Colchester Tendring Borders Garden Community (Policy SAMU1) and the proposed Garden Villages at Hare Green (Policy SAMU8) and Horsley Cross (Policy SAMU9), all of which benefit from proximity to the A120 and the strategic road network. Unlike the existing site allocations, which are expressed as pitches or pitch equivalents and may be delivered through a variety of forms of additional accommodation, provision at the Colchester Tendring Borders Garden Community will comprise new purpose-built pitches delivered as part of a dedicated Gypsy and Traveller site. The GTAA confirms that there is no current or future need for plots for Travelling Showpeople in Tendring; therefore, no land is allocated for this purpose.

5.56National planning policy, as set out in the Planning Policy for Traveller Sites (PPTS, 2024), requires local authorities to adopt a criteria-based approach in their Local Plans to guide decisions on planning applications for Gypsy and Traveller sites, even where there is no identified need. Such policies should be fair and should facilitate the traditional and nomadic way of life of travellers while respecting the interests of the settled community.

5.57 Accordingly, apart from the specific allocations, any proposals for new sites or additional pitches will be assessed against the criteria in Policy LP9 and other relevant policies in this Local Plan. These criteria ensure that sites are appropriately located, well-designed, and provide a good standard of residential amenity while avoiding harm to the environment and ensuring safe access to services and infrastructure.

Care, Independent and Assisted Living, and Secure Institutions

5.58 Demographic projections suggest that by the end of the plan period in 2043, over 62% of our residents could be over the age of 65. The District is already a very popular area for retirement, particularly in the coastal towns of Clacton and Frinton, with much of the demand for new housing driven by the migration of older people from other parts of the country. Generally, thanks to advancements in medical care and healthier lifestyles, people are living longer, and the Council is actively promoting the District’s leisure offer to the ‘active retired’ who make a valuable contribution toward our local economy.

5.59The latest Essex Supported and Specialist and Supported Housing and Accommodation Needs Assessment 2025 (SSHANA) identifies a need for a broad range of supported and Specialist and Supported Housing and accommodation across Tendring, including residential care and nursing homes, extra care housing, assisted living, retirement living, supported living for people with disabilities and mental health needs, and other accommodation designed to meet care and support requirements. The Council will support the delivery of an appropriate range of accommodation types to help meet these identified needs over the plan period.

5.60Providing specialist and supported housing in sustainable locations will enable residents to remain independent for longer, reduce pressure on health and social care services, and support the Council’s objectives for healthy, inclusive communities. Integration within settlements ensures access to local services and reduces isolation, while high design standards and amenity provision safeguard quality of life.

5.61The Council also recognises the importance of enabling people to live independently for as long as possible within their communities. Proposals for supported and specialist accommodation should therefore seek to incorporate accessible and adaptable design principles from the outset, supporting residents' physical and mental wellbeing, independence and quality of life, whilst responding to changing care needs over time.

5.62The Local Plan encourages development of care, independent and assisted living homes in appropriate locations. This will ensure future generations of older and disabled residents get the highest quality of care and future generations of working age residents can access a range of job opportunities in a diverse and growing sector of the economy. As well as jobs for care assistants, growth in this sector will generate job opportunities for medical professionals, caterers and managers as well as jobs in supply chain industries dealing with matters such as maintenance, gardening, specialist training, security and construction. Consideration of staffing capacity/availability must be considered by applicants prior to submission of planning applications.

5.63Residential institutions have the potential to accommodate a significant number of residents, employ substantial numbers of staff and receive visits from friends and family. Therefore, they are best located in accessible locations, ideally within the settlement development boundaries of the District’s more sustainable Urban Settlements and Rural Service Centres, as opposed to the Smaller Rural Settlements or remote countryside locations where there tend to be fewer local services and facilities, limited access to public transport and where the introduction of such development can often have a detrimental impact on the rural character of that community.

5.64However, the Council does recognise that it is often difficult to find areas of land large enough to accommodate larger, high quality care homes set within open grounds with gardens, landscapes and trees – which, for the quality of life for residents, is very important. Therefore, the policy encourages the development of care homes and extra-care housing within the larger residential and mixed-use allocations across the District.

5.65Secure Residential Institutions, which come under use class C2a, can include secure hospitals, detention centres and prisons. These institutions also have the potential to employ significant numbers of people but in some instances can have a detrimental impact on their immediate surroundings in terms of noise and disturbance. A more remote location may therefore be appropriate, and proposals for these kinds of institutions will be considered on their own merits, subject to meeting the requirements of other policies in this document and demonstrating a local need.

5.66Specialist and Supported Housing and accommodation can form an appropriate component of residential and mixed-use developments and allocations, where compatible with the overall design, character and function of the site and where residents have appropriate access to services, facilities, healthcare and public transport.

HMO and Bedsits

5.67A House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) is a house occupied by three or more unrelated individuals as their only or main residence where they have individual lockable bedrooms, but where basic amenities such as a kitchen or bathroom are shared. HMOs with between three and six bedrooms fall under Class C4 of the Use Classes Order. HMOs with seven or more bedrooms are classed as ‘sui generis’. Each individual bedroom within an HMO is classed as a ‘tenancy unit’. For the purposes of Policy LP11, an HMO will generally be taken to mean accommodation falling within Use Class C4 or any Sui Generis HMO use, unless superseded by changes to national legislation or guidance.

5.68 Bedsits are dwelling houses that consist of a single room containing living accommodation and dedicated, but often basic, cooking and washing facilities (such as a cooker, microwave oven and sink) but sometimes bathroom and toilet facilities are shared by a number of bedsit occupiers. Bedsits form part of Use Class C3.

5.69Whilst HMOs and bedsits can provide an important source of lower-cost and flexible accommodation, particularly for single people and smaller households, the Council recognises that high concentrations of such uses can have adverse impacts on residential amenity, community balance, local character and the perception of an area if not carefully managed. Policy LP11 therefore seeks to strike an appropriate balance between supporting housing choice and maintaining the quality and sustainability of local communities.

5.70The creation of HMOs and bedsits, in the majority of cases, require planning permission in line with national planning regulations. The conversion of a ‘dwelling house’ (Use Class C3) to an HMO in Use Class C4 can take place without the need for planning permission except in locations where the Local Authority has made an ‘Article 4 Direction’ to remove this permitted change. Tendring District Council has made an Article 4 Direction removing this permitted change in all parts of the District. Therefore, any proposal involving the creation of an HMO or bedsits in the Tendring District will require planning permission.

5.71The Council is concerned about the impact that an increasing number of HMOs and bedsits, both new-build proposals and the conversion of existing properties, will have on the health of residents, the economy of the District and the physical character of our towns and villages. An increasing number of large residential properties, hotels and guesthouses in central parts of our seaside towns are being lost to HMOs and bedsits, which will result in the permanent loss of valuable visitor accommodation, essential to the tourism economy, and poor living conditions and resultant health problems for tenants.

5.72Furthermore, the concentration of low-cost accommodation, particularly within town centre areas can result in a high proportion of people with personal, financial or health issues moving into the area (often from outside of the District) and being concentrated together in one area, placing undue pressure on the public services within those areas (such as doctors’ surgeries); detracting from the public perception of the area (which is all important for the purposes of attracting visitors, tourists and investors to spend money in the local economy); and, in turn, making the owners of houses, hotels and guesthouses within the area consider converting their premises into HMOs and bedsits, for rental income, rather than retaining them in their existing use.

5.73The Council maintains and regularly updates information relating to licensed HMOs across the District, working closely with its Housing and Licensing teams. This information forms part of the evidence base supporting Policy LP11 and will continue to be monitored and updated throughout the Plan period to assist the consistent application of the policy.

5.74For the purposes of this policy, the 10% concentration threshold will be assessed by reference to the proportion of HMO and bedsit units within a 100-metre radius of the application site. The radius will be measured from the centre point of the application property. Further guidance on the interpretation and application of this requirement may be provided by the Council from time to time to ensure consistency and transparency in decision-making.