By 2017 Uttlesford District Council is required to produce a Local Plan, which will identify areas for future housing development. The initial consultation phase, looking at overall strategy for the plan, is now closed and you can read the comprehensive Felsted Parish Council response here.

As part of the next stage, the locations of c400 sites across Uttlesford, put forward by interested parties  for possible development in response to the ‘call for sites’, have been released.

An interactive map of all 400 sites can be viewed here.  By zooming in you can view the 28 locations within the Parish of Felsted. A separate list of all areas can also be viewed here.

It is recognised by Uttlesford District Council that releasing this level of detail is likely to generate concern within communities. However, it is a part of their Local Plan process to make public all sites being offered for development, irrespective of the likelihood of any specific site being adopted.

There is at this time no consultation stage to respond to, nor does this stage of the Plan generate any specific planning applications on which residents, or the Parish Council, can comment. The Plan process does not however preclude individuals from submitting a planning application at any time in the usual manner.

The next stage in the Plan process is for Uttlesford District Council to published a draft of the  Strategic Land Availability Assessment (SLAA).  The Council can only conclude whether a  proposed site is suitable once the Council has reached a view about the overall development strategy for the District. It is anticipated that the SLAA assessments will therefore be finalised once the draft Local Plan strategy is published, hopefully in autumn 2016.

The District Council will then open a further consultation phase on the interim assessments. Comments made will be reviewed against each assessment and used to adjust the conclusions as necessary.

Felsted Parish Council remains vigilant and closely engaged with the Local Plan process. We have responded to the initial consultation phase and are a part of a cross District group of Parish Councils from Uttlesford and Braintree, established to share information, specifically in responding to the potential for a large scale development to the north of Felsted village (area 9 in the consultation). 

Separate from the Local Plan process, the Parish Council will continue to publicise and review any planning applications received, against Planning Policy, the principles established in the Felsted Parish Plan and those being defined within the emerging Neighbourhood Plan.