Introduction

Southend is a vibrant city by the sea. It is a major tourist destination and business centre with a growing population. It is a city of enterprise, culture and opportunity. 

The city lies at the eastern most extremity of the south Essex peninsula at the mouth of the Thames Estuary some forty miles east of London. It stretches along a foreshore of around seven miles, which provides an east/ west linear layout.

With limited land resources and one of the most densely developed urban areas in the country outside London, harnessing the city’s potential for growth and meeting the needs of its resident and business community while addressing the impacts of climate change and technological advances, and having regard to the natural and historic environment, is a major challenge and requires careful planning.

The Local Plan seeks to meet this challenge by planning for the future sustainable development of the city to 2040, whilst seeking to provide for new homes and jobs and safeguarding the city’s valuable parks and green spaces, distinctive heritage and character, and its sensitive coastal environment.

An ‘Issues and Options’ document was published for public comment in February 2019, which represented the first stage in seeking views on what the direction and content of a new Local Plan for Southend should be.

In the light of comments made, a ‘Refining the Options’ document was prepared for further comment in August 2021. Representations received have been instrumental in shaping the format of this next stage of Local Plan preparation, namely the ‘Preferred Approach with options’.

The ‘Preferred Approach with options’ sets out a draft spatial vision and policies and proposals to address the needs of the city. This is set out under specific themes as follows:

• A CITY BY THE SEA – setting out objectives, spatial strategy and principles; managing the impacts of growth and infrastructure and whether to provide a new neighbourhood on land north of Southend.
• A CITY THAT IS HEALTHY AND SAFE - enabling healthy lifestyles and wellbeing;
• A CITY OF OPPORTUNITY - the provision and type of new homes and securing a thriving economy;
• A CITY TO BE PROUD OF - urban design, character and heritage;
• A CITY THAT IS GREEN AND SUSTAINABLE - the natural environment, biodiversity and climate change;
• A CITY THAT IS CONNECTED AND SMART – transport and connectivity;
• THE NEIGHBOURHOODS OF SOUTHEND – proposals for the neighbourhoods of Southend;
• A CITY THAT DELIVERS – how the Local Plan will be delivered and monitored.

Further comment is now sought on this ‘Preferred Approach with options’ version of the Local Plan. Following this stage and consideration of the feedback the Local Plan will be further refined to produce a ‘Submission’ document which will be published for comment and then be examined in public before an Independent Inspector.

The preparation timetable for the Local Plan is set out below (Figure 1.1) and detailed in the Southend Local Development Scheme (LDS).

(Q refers to the quarter of that calendar year)

The various stages of Local Plan preparation have drawn upon an extensive evidence base which is regularly updated. Documents comprising the evidence base are referenced throughout this document. The Local Plan ‘Preferred Approach’ is also accompanied by an Integrated Assessment, comprising Sustainability Appraisal setting out the impact of the draft strategy and planning policies from an environmental, social and economic perspective, and an Infrastructure Delivery Plan detailing infrastructure needs.

Once adopted the Southend New Local Plan will replace several current adopted planning policy documents, namely:

• the Southend Core Strategy (2007);
• Development Management Document (DPD 2015);
• Southend Central Area Action Plan (SCAAP 2018); and
• some of the strategic policies within the London Southend Airport and Environs Joint Area Action Plan (JAAP 2014);

These policy documents are supported by three Supplementary Planning Documents (SPD) namely:

• Design and Townscape Guide (SPD1 2009);
• Planning Obligations A Guide to s106 and Developer Contributions (SPD 2 2015); and
• Streetscape Manual (SPD 3 2015).

These will be updated and reviewed as appropriate.

The Essex and Southend Waste Local Plan (2017), prepared jointly by Southend and Essex County Council, sets out an approach to 2032 and will be reviewed in due course separately.

The current adopted planning policies to be replaced by the New Local Plan upon adoption are detailed in Appendix 3.
Southend in the wider sub-region

Set at the eastern end of a peninsula, Southend looks westwards towards London and relies on transportation links across south Essex for its accessibility.

Southend is a Unitary Authority responsible for all local government services, unlike many other ‘2-tier’ local authorities that rely on County Council’s to delivery certain services, including transport, education and waste. Nevertheless, the Southend new Local Plan has been prepared in close collaboration with neighbouring authorities, including the South Essex Councils and other key stakeholders to ensure it has regard to its strategic context.

The hierarchy of strategies and plans related to Southend are set out below in Figure 1.2. The future development of Southend needs to be viewed in the context of growth and development within the South Essex sub region (Figure 1.3). The councils of Basildon, Brentwood, Castle Point, Rochford, Southend-on-Sea, Thurrock and Essex County have formed South Essex Councils (SEC). They are working together to promote prosperity and wellbeing in the region and make it the place to live, visit and do business.