Essex council considers building an entirely new village
It's to tackle a shortage of housing
An Essex council says it can't rule out building an entirely new village in an effort to tackle a shortage of housing.
Maldon District Council say they need to find space for 4,500 homes but don't have enough allocated housing land to do so.
The authority said there isn't enough housing land allocated or with planning permission to fulfil five years’ worth of needs, which is a national requirement. Failure to do so can leave the district council powerless to preventing developments on land it disagrees with.
They're now considering building a garden village to meet demand, similar to the village being proposed in Dunton Hills, Brentwood.
People are now being asked their views on how the district could be planning for future development in a consultation now open until March 14, 2022.
Matt Winslow, Strategy, Policy and Communications Manager at the district council, said: “It could be a garden village. A garden village is more about how a settlement is delivered and by what principles it is designed, but we have not used that term.
“We can’t just decide we are going to create a new settlement in a location where the land is not available. That is why in part we are reopening the call for land so that all the land opportunities are considered fairly and equally.”
Echoing Maldon District Council's announcement that its housing blueprint, which designates 5,100 homes and expires in 2029, needs to be extended to 2038 at the earliest, but could actually go to 2043 to allow more significant degrees of infrastructure investment to be secured, Winslow also suggested that new infrastructure to support large scale housing may become more available if the plan was extended to 2043.
“That is one of the questions we are asking as to whether we should aim for a longer plan that could unlock greater infrastructure investment or have a slightly shorter plan.”
The council have opened a consultation, until 14th March 2022, to find out locals' views.
Councillor Richard Siddall, Leader Designate of Maldon District Council, said: "The local development plan review consultation gives us all a new opportunity to have our say, to rethink how development in the whole district should happen in the future, and to ensure that what is built, provides for local needs and leaves a positive legacy to the district.
“We are asking residents, businesses and organisations to tell us what they think is important in how to meet the development challenges ahead. I would encourage everyone to give us their initial views, to help us shape the Local Development Plan Review.”