At a meeting on Wednesday 7 January, Rochford District Council’s Planning Policy Committee reviewed key papers supporting the emerging Rochford Local Plan.

Among them was a transport assessment prepared by consultants Systra. The Committee agreed to recommend that the assessment be noted by Full Council on 27 January, with a briefing for all councillors in the meantime so members can examine the findings in more depth and request further information.

Members also considered the draft Regulation 18 Local Plan consultation document and the proposed engagement strategy. Officers explained that Regulation 18 is an early stage in the plan-making process, intended to gather views on the overall direction before the Plan is refined.

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At the conclusion of the meeting, councillors resolved to recommend that Full Council decide whether to approve the draft Local Plan for Regulation 18 public consultation at an Extraordinary Council meeting on Tuesday 27 January.

If Council approves, the Regulation 18 consultation will run for a minimum of six weeks, giving residents, businesses and stakeholders the opportunity to comment and help shape the next stage. Dates and materials will be widely publicised online and offline.

Ahead of any consultation, the Council is taking steps to help residents engage clearly and effectively. This includes a regular 'Rooted in Rochford' e-newsletter with plain-English explainers of planning terms and processes, and a newly published website guide on making effective comments, which provides a simple template to help structure responses.

Councillor Danielle Belton, Leader of Rochford Council, said: "Planning has a reputation for being complex and difficult to understand. But a strong Local Plan is one that the whole community creates together. We want to make sure that when the time for consultation comes, residents are as well-equipped as possible to get their points across in a way that bears weight."