Category: Local Housing

Off Target

James Piers TaylorLeave a comment
Empty lecturn in front of a screen reading 'Autumn Climate Summit 2024'

On the 12th of November, I attended the Essex County Council Autumn Climate Summit ‘Enabling Net Zero New Homes in Essex’. I was excited that the Summit showed a level of ambition aligned with the gravity of the national net zero task and our international commitments. (You can watch a recording of the Summit here).

I was also impressed by the statements that Essex was taking a leading role, especially with the Essex Climate Action Commission Set Targets for all new homes to be net zero by 2025 and for all new buildings to produce more energy than they use by 2030.

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Zeroing In

James Piers Taylor1 Comment

I am grateful to Tony Fittock (District Councillor for Althorne ) for letting me know that the process of creating a new Local Development Plan for Maldon District has begun. So my previous post on the matter revealed my own ignorance of the Maldon District Local Development Plan (LDP) Review: Issues and Options Consultation, which ran from 17 January to 14 March 2022.

Mr Fittock also shared a link to the report ‘Growth Options for the Review of the Local Development Plan’ [p.33 onwards] provided to the meeting of Maldon District councillors on 14 September 2023.

From this, I learned that ‘the Plan Period for the review of the LDP Review is going to be 20 years.’ As the current plan runs until 2029, this indicates that its successor will cover the period up to 2050. As noted previously, the UK government is committed by law to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 100% of 1990 levels (net zero) by 2050. The next Local Development Plan will therefore set out a vision and a framework for the future development of Maldon District that must include complete decarbonisation.

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If You Fail to Plan, You Are Planning to Fail

James Piers Taylor1 Comment
Outside the Anchor pub, Burnham-on-Crouch after the 1953 floods

It’s now 6 years & 7 months since the Maldon Local Development Plan 2014-2029 [pdf] was approved (21 July 2017) and 6 years & 5 months since the Burnham Neighbourhood Plan 2014-2020 [pdf] was made part of the Maldon LDP by Maldon District Council (8 September 2017).

The period both these plans cover ends in 2029 – now just 5 years away.

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