Members of the public and stakeholders can have their say on the submission version of the Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community (TCBGC) Development Plan, during a six-week consultation running from Monday, 15 May to Sunday, 25 June.
The submission version of the Development Plan contains policies, visions, and a preferred masterplan layout option that will shape growth of a planned new settlement between Colchester, Ardleigh and Elmstead Market, which forms part of the adopted Local Plans for Colchester and Tendring.
In March, Tendring District Council and Colchester City Council voted to send the TCBGC Development Plan out for formal consultation, following backing by the TCB Joint Committee on 27 February.
Residents and stakeholders are being invited to comment on the soundness of the Draft Plan during the consultation period. Once the consultation ends, all responses will be sent to the Planning Inspectorate. A Planning Inspector will then consider these and assess if the Development Plan is sound and compliant with local and national planning policy. Once the Plan is formally adopted, any future planning applications to develop the Garden Community must conform to the policies set out in the Plan.
The policies in the Draft Plan include: Development at the Garden Community; Land Uses and Spatial Approach; Community and Social Infrastructure; Buildings, Places and Character; Economic Activity and Employment; Movement and Connections; Sustainable Infrastructure; Nature; and Infrastructure Delivery and Impact Mitigation.
Lindsay Barker, Executive Director of Place at Colchester City Council, said: “It is vital to have local engagement and scrutiny of the Development Plan, to help shape the growth of a new garden community that will bring benefits to our residents and the local area for decades to come.
“A huge amount of work has already been done to ensure these proposals are sound, are viable and can command public support.
“We would urge residents to have their say during this consultation, either in person at one of the eight drop-in events or online. All views will be sent directly to an independent Planning Inspectorate, who will then determine the soundness of the Plan.”
Gary Guiver, Director of Planning at Tendring District Council, said: "While our plans for this new and exciting garden community have gone through extensive work – in particular building upon the comments made at the first consultation – we still want to hear people’s views on the latest plans.
“Therefore, I would encourage people to review the proposed Development Plan Document and give their thoughts on whether it is viable and legally sound.”
To view the Submission Version and comment online, visit https://talk.tcbgardencommunity.co.uk For anyone without internet access a Freepost address is available. Residents should write to Freepost TCB GC for more information.
