Council steps up to meet growing demands on planning

Burgeoning demand for more homes has prompted a local authority planning department to expand. 

Braintree District Council is seeking to knit nearly 1,000 homes a year into the area's mix of towns and villages. 

Development manager Tessa Lambert told Planning: “Expansion of the department reflects that we are a district that is going to see significant amount of development growth in this part of Essex.

“This will predominantly focus on residential and commercial work and we are starting out on the local plan process. 

“Our issues and options document suggests we need between 750 and 950 homes per year from 2014 to 2033. All of that will need to be supported by infrastructure, jobs and community facilities.”

The council is looking to fill up to six planning posts, including including an area manager, a principal and senior planner and planning roles.

“We are seeing a step change in the level of development and need to build on a strong planning team to deliver that growth sustainably,” said Lambert.

“This is a challenging but exciting time for the district as we prepare our new local plan to balance the need for economic and housing growth with the need to safeguard attractive rural landscapes."

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