About the Garden Community Plans

You may be new to this and not of heard of the proposals, or you may already be aware of it through work that has been going on for the last few years.

The process started as part of Colchester and Tendring needing to prepare 'Local Plans' to set out where future development should be located across the area, and what policies should guide proposals to ensure they would deliver what is needed. The idea to establish a 'Garden Community' in this location formed part of wider plans for several new communities across the 'North Essex' area, which at the time also included Braintree District Council.

From 2017 through to the end of 2020 these ideas and proposals have been thoroughly scrutinised and debated through an 'Examination in Public', with an Independent Planning Inspector considering all the evidence and the arguments for and against the proposals.

The outcome of this process has been the finalisation and confirmation of the shared Section 1 Local Plan, which has now been adopted as planning policy by both Colchester and Tendring Councils. This includes several important policies that will form the basis of considering what should now happen, such as the scale of development anticipated, the types of infrastructure that will be required and the approach to creating a high quality place for the future.

North Essex & the broad location of the Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community

A key part of this next stage of work will be to work closely with a range of stakeholders, including local communities to help inform and shape the plans. This will include producing a 'masterplan' – to set out where new development, business, shops, schools and parks will be located, and a ‘Development Plan Document’ which will set out more detailed policy and requirements. This document will be accompanied by a wide range of extra background studies and will be fully tested via an Examination in Public in the same way that the Local Plans have been.

An Engagement and Consultation Strategy has been published which outlines how we will engage and communicate with various audiences in order to help shape the approach to the Garden Community and inform the content of the Development Plan Document. Sharing ideas via this website is a key part of that.