{"id":43969,"date":"2018-07-31T08:43:17","date_gmt":"2018-07-31T07:43:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/?p=43969"},"modified":"2018-07-31T08:43:17","modified_gmt":"2018-07-31T07:43:17","slug":"essex-planning-protocol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/essex-planning-protocol\/43969\/","title":{"rendered":"Essex Planning Protocol paves the way for housing growth"},"content":{"rendered":"

With Essex experiencing significant growth, the county\u2019s councils have collaborated with housebuilders and developers to create a Planning Protocol that will support the delivery of more affordable, quality housing. Alethea Evans, principal planning consultant at Place Services<\/a> at Essex County Council, explains how it came about<\/h2>\n

Essex is entering a phase of significant growth. Over the period between 2016 and 2036, the Greater Essex population is predicted to grow by almost 300,000, an increase of more than 16%. With a growing population comes a rise in the demand for housing and supporting infrastructure. Nationally, housing delivery<\/a> has failed to keep pace with demand and Essex is no exception, with pockets of the county facing significant shortages of affordable and good quality housing.<\/p>\n

The scale and pace of new development demands a commitment to delivery from both developers and local planning authorities. By early 2017, support began to gather pace for creating a Planning Protocol, a charter that would establish a commitment to constructive behaviour and actions between developers and planning departments across Essex.<\/p>\n

With the support of the Local Economic Partnership, the protocol aimed to set the foundation for these parties to work together to deliver the growth needed for the county.<\/p>\n

In autumn 2017, Graham Thomas, the chairman of the Essex Planning Officers\u2019 Association (EPOA), representing the 12 districts\/borough\/city planning authorities and unitary authority of Southend-on-Sea, commissioned Place Services to undertake the project. Place Services was already delivering the new Essex Design Guide and had the resources and expertise required.<\/p>\n

The project started with preparation of a draft document and the setup of a lean task and finish group, with members representing both the Essex Developers Group (EDG) and the local planning authorities. Drafts were shared with housing officers, developers, planning agents, legal representatives, strategic and development management planners, and elected members, with constructive input encouraged over a number of months. This engagement process was instrumental in identifying the common concerns regarding barriers to growth.<\/p>\n

Four headline commitments emerged as mechanisms to support growth and have been incorporated into the final version, along with a commitment to review the protocol.<\/p>\n

The final version of the Protocol was endorsed by the EPOA at their March meeting and subsequently by the chairman of the EDG representing developers, agents and the legal teams involved in development delivery across Essex.<\/p>\n

The Protocol includes commitments under four broad headings: communication, certainty and consistency, resources and training. One of the key features is a commitment to the use of Planning Performance Agreements to achieve a more efficient and effective application process. These are not currently used by every local planning authority in Essex so this commitment represents a significant change.<\/p>\n

The main aims of the Protocol are:<\/p>\n