Have your say on the Castle Point Plan
What is the Castle Point Plan?
A priority for the Council is creating a bright and prosperous future for Castle Point. Key to this is planning how our borough will develop in the coming decades. We must ensure we have the right housing, infrastructure, green spaces and services to meet residents needs as we change and grow. To this end, we are developing the Castle Point Plan.
When complete, the Castle Point Plan will act as a framework to inform planning decisions and guide development in the borough over the next 20 years.
Phases in preparing the Castle Point Plan
Issues Identification (complete)
We undertook engagement on the issues that should be addressed through the Castle Point Plan from March to August 2023. We received around 1,500 responses to the engagement and met around 200 residents out and about in the community. Alongside engagement work we also undertook studies and assessments that helped us understand the need for development and the role the places and spaces within the borough play in meeting people's needs.
Issues and Options (complete)
Having listened to the initial engagement and reviewed the evidence base work undertaken in the issues identification stage we identified the key issues we need to address through the plan and some options for addressing those issues. From July to September 2024 we engaged with residents, partner organisations and other stakeholders to ensure we were heading in the right direction and to find out which options they preferred.
Draft Plan (early 2025)
We will use the responses to the Issues and Options Engagement to draft the Castle Point Plan. As part of this process we will finalise the evidence base to ensure that we are asking for the transport, infrastructure and environmental enhancements that residents and partner organisations require to support growth in the borough. Consultation on the draft Castle Point Plan will take place in early 2025.
Closed engagements and consultations
South Benfleet Conservation Area Character Appraisal and Management Plan and Design Code
The South Benfleet Conservation Area is a valued area of heritage in the borough. As such it is important to manage the area effectively. As a consequence of this a South Benfleet Conservation Area Character Appraisal and Management Plan has been prepared, which once complete, will supersede the existing Character Appraisal and Management Plan . This appraisal is designed to enhance the understanding of South Benfleet Conservation Area and its development, informing future design....
Call for Sites
Following an initial Call for Sites in early 2024, we are inviting the submission of further sites within the borough that may be suitable for the following uses: Housing and other residential uses – including specialist housing Commercial - including employment and retail Infrastructure – including community uses Green infrastructure - including biodiversity net gain and renewable energy This process is known as the...
Castle Point Plan Sustainability Appraisal and Strategic Environmental Assessment Scoping Report and Initial Assessment of Strategic Options
In preparing the Castle Point Plan the Council must ensure that the proposals it sets out will achieve relevant environmental, economic and social objectives. The Sustainability Appraisal and Strategic Environmental Assessment Scoping Report and Initial Assessment of Strategic Options identifies a framework to assess emerging plans, policies, proposals and reasonable alternatives in the emerging Castle Point Plan. It also provides an initial assessment of the reasonable alternatives...
Evidence Base
Find out more about the evidence base we've developed to support the development of the Castle Point Plan.