Although the Castle Point Plan proposes 6,196 new homes across the Borough, which is significantly below the Government’s target of 11,662, the Castle Point Plan is the most appropriate plan for the Borough and sets out the type of homes people want and a level of affordable homes to meet demand.

• The Castle Point Plan aims to meet genuine need, identified in 2023; maximise the use of urban land; and protect open spaces and the Green Belt.

• Protecting what matters: the Council is committed to safeguarding the Borough’s wildlife, and open spaces (urban and not urban), ensuring development respects the character of our communities and local residents have open spaces for their health and wellbeing.

• Homes that fit local needs: The Castle Point Plan proposes homes which will meet a genuine assessment local housing need in the places which can accommodate growth sustainably.

• Plans for infrastructure: The Castle Point Plan aligns housing growth with the need to secure improvements to transport infrastructure, and improvements to community facilities such as health and wellbeing provision, skills development and open spaces.

• Urban-led growth: Development is focused on urban areas including town centres, main road corridors and employment areas. This approach avoids sprawl, promotes local service provision (community facilities, shops and buses) and supports the regeneration and renewal of these places so that the economy grows, thrives and supports the needs of the community.

• Community-driven planning: The Castle Point Plan reflects extensive public engagement, including over 1,400 responses to the Initial Issues Engagement and around 1,300 responses to the Regulation 18 Issues and Options consultation. Local voices have shaped the outcomes set out in the Castle Point Plan. Residents told us:

  • They value open spaces and the community

  • They want transport improvements

  • They have concerns about community infrastructure capacity

  • They support urban development

  • They support the regeneration and renewal of employment plan

  • They do not support development in the Green Belt

• Environmental leadership: The Castle Point Plan promotes sustainable development, climate resilience, and biodiversity protection. It strongly protects local wildlife and aims to create new habitats by keeping open countryside in the Green Belt safe from development.

• Balanced and robust: We know that the Castle Point Plan falls short of Government housing targets, but we are able to justify why the Borough cannot accommodate those housing numbers through a robust evidence base which we are happy to defend at Examination. This includes:

  • Evidence of the value of the natural environment in Castle Point.

  • Evidence of the value of heritage assets in Castle Point.

  • Evidence of the role of greenfield sites in providing flood mitigation.

  • Evidence of the capacity limitations being exceeded from too much growth on the highway network in and around Castle Point.

  • Evidence of the impact of the Green Belt sites that were promoted to us on the landscape.

  • Evidence our Green Belt also fulfil a strong Green Belt purpose.

​

To access the draft Castle Point Plan document either;

• Visit the Castle Point Plan website where you will find the information you need,  Website - https://www.castlepoint.gov.uk/castle-point-plan

• Visit the Council offices or libraries, where copies of the Castle Point Plan will be held.

• Email – cpplan@castlepoint.gov.uk for a copy.

• Follow the link from the image of the front page of the plan on the Homepage of this website