Residents across Tendring are being asked to have their final say on the district’s Local Plan — the blueprint for where more than 18,000 new homes, plus jobs, infrastructure and community facilities should go over the next 17 years.

Tendring District Council (TDC) approved the submission version of the Local Plan Review for public consultation at a meeting on Tuesday (1 September).

The six-week consultation will run from Monday, 7 September until Monday, 19 October and will include five face-to-face consultation events across the district in late September and early October, alongside opportunities to respond online.

It will be the last chance for residents, businesses, community groups, landowners and other interested parties to comment before the plan is submitted to Government for independent examination.

The review has been prepared against the Government’s mandatory housebuilding targets, which require Tendring to plan for 1,069 homes a year — 18,173 homes between 2026 and 2043.

Around 10,211 homes are expected on sites carried forward from the last Local Plan, including the Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community and strategic sites around Clacton, as well as sites already under construction.

To meet the remaining need for about 8,000 homes, the proposals include garden villages at Hare Green, Horsley Cross and Weeley, a major expansion of Harwich, and growth around existing towns, villages and railway stations.

The previous consultation, held in the Spring, attracted more than 620 responses and saw around 700 people speak directly to planning officers, raising issues including transport, infrastructure, schools, healthcare, countryside impacts, jobs and affordable homes.

That feedback has helped shape the latest version, with changes including the deletion of some proposed sites, including plans for 300 homes east of Church Road, Brightlingsea, and 200 homes off Arthur Ransome Way, Walton, while the allocation at Thorpe-le-Soken has been cut to 70 homes after primary school capacity issues ruled out larger-scale growth in the village.

Councillor Carlo Guglielmi, Chairman of TDC’s Planning Policy and Local Plan Committee, said: “This Local Plan represents years of hard work in the face of significant challenges, including changing national policy and demanding housing targets set by Government.

“Our officers have worked hard to produce a credible plan that gives Tendring the best chance of retaining local control over future development.

“We are now ready to move to the final public consultation, giving residents, stakeholders and statutory bodies the chance to comment before the plan is submitted for independent examination.”

This consultation is different from earlier stages. Comments need to focus on whether the Local Plan meets legal requirements and the Government’s tests for being sound.

Only comments submitted during this final consultation will be passed to the independent Planning Inspector. Anyone who wants their views considered by the Inspector will need to submit them again, even if they commented earlier.

Councillor Andy Baker, TDC’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning, added: “We know there are strong views about growth, infrastructure and the impact of development, and we have listened carefully to the feedback given so far.

“This is a more technical stage, but it is no less important. It is the point at which people can say whether they believe the plan is legally compliant and sound.

“The Government’s housing targets mean difficult decisions have had to be made, but having an up-to-date Local Plan gives Tendring the best chance of managing growth properly, securing infrastructure and resisting speculative development.”

After the consultation, the council intends to submit the Local Plan to the Secretary of State later this year for independent examination by a Planning Inspector.

To take part in the consultation, which opens on Monday, 7 September, go to https://tendringdc.oc2.uk/document/72.