Local Plan Assurance

LOCAL decisions and local evidence will inform Local Plan, says Rochford District Council.
Rochford District Council has reaffirmed its commitment to a Local Plan that is shaped by local evidence, local needs and local voices, not by arbitrary targets.
A council statement said: “The Council recognises that residents are concerned about the level of housebuilding expected of the area.
“Last year, the Government significantly increased Rochford’s mandatory housing requirement to 689 new homes per year, more than double the original requirement. Lead councillors have repeatedly expressed in open letters to Ministers that the target does not reflect the on-the-ground reality of the district.
“Evidence is still coming in and shaping the Plan. The Council is currently preparing its draft (Regulation 18) Local Plan. Consultation will begin in early 2026. This stage is an early, exploratory draft: not all technical evidence is finalised at this point, and it is common for studies to continue feeding into the draft over the coming months.
“As new evidence arrives, for example on site suitability, infrastructure capacity, environmental constraints, heritage, flood risk and transport, it will be used to update and refine the emerging plan. This means some sites may change, some will drop away once tested, and others may require further investigation before any decisions are made.
“Consultation matters at every stage. Some residents have expressed concern that if certain pieces of evidence are not published until after this initial consultation, their views on them will ‘not count’. This is not the case.
“After Regulation 18, the next consultation stage is Regulation 19 in summer 2026.
“Comments submitted at Regulation 19 usually go directly to the Planning Inspector, who must consider them as part of the examination. The Inspector can, and often does, recommend changes to Local Plans. These proposed changes – known as Main Modifications – are then subject to a further public consultation. Residents will therefore have meaningful opportunities to influence the Plan throughout its development.
“Local Plan to be set by Rochford, not Whitehall. The Council is clear that all decisions on the Local Plan will be made locally, based on robust evidence and an understanding of what is achievable and appropriate for Rochford’s communities, landscape and infrastructure.
“Even before all evidence is finalised, early assessments indicate that not all land put forward is likely to be suitable for development once detailed testing is complete.”
Coun Danielle Belton, Leader of Rochford District Council, said: “We know the scale of development expected by the Government is causing anxiety. We share those concerns, and we have been open with ministers about the challenges these targets pose.
““What we can assure residents is that the Local Plan will be rooted in local evidence and shaped by local decision making.
“The upcoming Regulation 18 consultation is the start of a conversation that will enable our community to create, together, a Local Plan that will help protect our district from uncontrolled development and preserve its unique character. The national planning environment we’re facing is challenging, but if we work together, we can get a good plan in place.”
The Council encourages all residents, community groups and businesses to engage with the Regulation 18 consultation when it opens in early 2026, and to continue doing so throughout the plan-making process.
The next step after this consultation will be Regulation 19 next autumn, when residents see a pre-submission draft before it is sent to the Inspector. New evidence received between the two consultations will be published and will feed into this draft, along with comments from residents and statutory consultees.
Any comments made at Regulation 19 stage will be sent directly to the Inspector, who may require further amendments, resulting in a third consultation in 2027.
Picture: Coun Danielle Belton, Leader of Rochford District Council.
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