Essex Planning Protocol

• Client: Essex Planning Officers Association
• Location: Essex

In autumn 2017 Place Services was commissioned to deliver the Essex Planning Protocol to support the delivery of more affordable, quality housing. 

The population of Essex is predicted to grow by almost 300,000 from 2016 to 2036, an increase of more than 16%.  The scale and pace of new development demands a commitment to delivery from both developers and local planning authorities.  With the support of the Local Economic Partnership, the protocol aims to set the foundation for these parties to work together to deliver the growth needed for the county. 

Place Services managed the project including preparation of a draft document, setting up a lean task and finish group, sharing drafts and engaging with housing officers, developers, planning agents, legal representatives, strategic and development management planners and elected members and encouraging constructive input.

Four headline commitments emerged as mechanisms to support growth which were incorporated into the final version and endorsed by the Essex Planning Officers Assocation and Essex Developers Group. 

The Protocol includes commitments under four broad headings: communication, certainty and consistency, resources and training. 

The aims of the Protocol are:

• Delivery, through the planning process, of the environment for quality and sustainable growth to meet the county's employment and housing needs.
• Providing increased efficiency and certainty in the planning process for communities and developers
• A shared approach, which will be periodically reviewed, to measure its implementation and effectiveness and ensure that it continues to reflect current best practice.