Ashingdon Parish Council

03/09/2026

This is a new regular update on the Local Plan. You're receiving it because you said you were interested in "Planning" when you signed up to Rochford District Council's 'Tell Me More' mailing list.

Thank you for your involvement so far
More people responded to Rochford District Council’s spring 'Regulation 18' Local Plan consultation than any other in recent history. Thank you if you took part.

At least 2,327 people took part in the Regulation 18 consultation on the new Local Plan, which ran earlier this year – the highest number of respondents for a Local Plan consultation in Rochford’s records.

The true figure is likely to be higher still, as it is common for a single response to be submitted on behalf of a whole household, or by one person writing on behalf of a wider community group.

The council’s Regulation 18 Feedback Report, which sets out a summary of everything residents, businesses and organisations told the council, has now been published following discussion by councilllors at Planning Policy Committee on 27 August.

A response rate well above the national average
At least 2.59% of Rochford’s entire population responded to the consultation, more than four times the average response rate for a Local Plan consultation, which nationally sits at around 0.56%.

In comparison, around 554 people responded to the council’s Issues and Options consultation back in 2017/18. That number more than tripled to 1,814 respondents in the 2021 Spatial Options consultation, and has now risen again to at least 2,327.

Publicity for the spring consultation included press releases and adverts in local newspapers, hundreds of posters across the district, drop-in events and webinars, social media posts and paid social media ads. This local plan e-newsletter has over 6,000 subscribers. Parish councils, community groups, resident groups and local people helped to spread the word too.

The Council also sent a leaflet to every home. We have heard your feedback: we know the distributor was slow to deliver to some areas and tucked some leaflets inside other mail, and a different distributor will be used next time.

Why this consultation mattered
The spring round of consultation followed significant changes to national planning policy affecting the Local Plan, which mean the council must take into account new policies like the introduction of ‘grey belt’, higher Government-set housing targets, and a current deadline of 31 December 2026 to submit the plan to inspectors.

Councillor Adi Malviya, Leader of Rochford District Council, says, “We’re taking an evidence-led approach to how these national policies affect our Local Plan. It’s right to look at what’s here, what can be done and what can’t. With so much potentially at stake for our district, it’s little wonder so many residents want their voice heard on issues from infrastructure and environment to housing and employment.”

Every single response, whether a quick comment or a detailed submission, has fed into the report and will help inform the next stage of the Local Plan, the Regulation 19 consultation, which is due this autumn. That document will set out the full draft plan, including proposed housing numbers and proposed site allocations, for a further round of public feedback before the plan is submitted for independent examination.

The Council has requested an extension to the New Year deadline to provide more time for councillors to read and understand evidence materials, but until and unless it hears back from the Government, it is sticking to the current timeline.

Councillor Neil Hookway, Chair of the Planning Policy Committee, says, “Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond in spring. I expect to see an even greater response for the Regulation 19 consultation this autumn. You live here, you know this district inside out. We’re keen for you to continue having input, and we know some of you are putting together technical reports about local sites to help us arrive at a well-considered decision. We see and appreciate your passion for our local area.”

Read the report
The Regulation 18 Feedback Report, along with a summary of the issues raised, is available to view on the council’s website.

31/08/2026

Tell us which council services are important to you in our Budget and Council priorities survey

Click the link and have your say.

Do you think Rochford District Council should spend less, the same, or more on managing parks and open spaces? Is the council using its assets to maximise the benefits to the community important to you? Should the council introduce charges for services it has an option to provide, that are not statu...

03/08/2026

Hosepipe ban hits Ashingdon

Temporary hosepipe ban is enforced from 00:01 on Monday 3 August 2026. It applies to all household customers in the Essex & Suffolk water supply area.
visit this page for full conditions: https://www.eswater.co.uk/temporaryuseban

23/07/2026

Update from Ashingdon Parish Council

23/07/2026

Welcome to everyone who's joined this newsletter recently. Rochford is producing a new Local Plan, and it's the single biggest factor in what does and doesn't get built here for the next 15 to 20 years.

Here's a quick refresher on the basics that everyone should know.

The Local Plan gives local people control
Think of a Local Plan as a rulebook for a referee. It doesn't dictate where houses will be built. What it does is set out where they may be permitted, if someone approaches with a development for that site that fits the rules.

It gives Rochford District Council specific, defensible grounds to say yes or no when a developer applies to build something.

Not having a Local Plan doesn't mean nothing gets built. Without this rulebook, the council is largely stuck applying national rules only. National policy doesn't take into account the specific situation and constraints of our local area.

If the council refuses an application without a solid policy reason (like it being against national rules or the Local Plan), the developer can appeal straight to central government, who can overrule the council entirely. This is a frustrating situation for local people and the councillors who represent them.

A good Local Plan, however, closes that gap. It sets out which sites are right for development, which aren't, and why. It's a huge, comprehensive document covering policies like jobs, water and utilities, flooding, nature, leisure and community life... not just housing numbers.

Two things people sometimes get confused about
Firstly, a Local Plan doesn't create demand for new homes. National housing targets set by the Government exist regardless of whether Rochford has a plan for meeting them or not. What the Local Plan controls is where the growth goes and what strings are attached to it - like new infrastructure, roads, healthcare and schools.

A Local Plan has to be 'sound and legal' for the Planning Inspector to allow it to be passed. That means it can't simply say, 'no new development'.

Secondly, having a plan does not cause development. If anything, a district without an up-to-date plan is more exposed to speculative planning applications.

We'll be honest: even a Local Plan isn't a magic bullet
Laws are changing. Once, when your council's development committee refused a major planning application, that was largely the end of the matter unless the developer appealed.

Now, new Government rules say that if we refuse any development of 150 or more homes, it can be 'called in'. This means the decision is taken out of the council's hands and made by central government.

However, having a Local Plan still gives your councillors greater legal confidence in refusing development that isn't right for Rochford, and in requiring infrastructure to be included when it is.

What's happened this year
At the start of 2026, the Plan was still being rewritten in early draft. Our Local Plan has previously been delayed, partly due to previous decisionmaking and partly due to the government changing national planning rules.

Since then, we've passed a major milestone.

The Regulation 18 consultation, on the early draft, ran from 9 February to 24 March this year. Thousands of comments came in from residents, businesses and groups across the district. This is a strong response, so thank you if you joined in. Staff are currently in the last stages of working through all these responses, alongside the technical evidence, and deciding what changes in the next draft.

Next up: Regulation 19, this autumn
The next public stage is Regulation 19. That means a more developed, more detailed version of the Local Plan.

This is the last point at which you can formally comment before the Plan goes to an independent Planning Inspector for examination. All your comments will also go to the inspector to be read.

A Regulation 19 consultation focuses on whether the Plan is 'sound and legally compliant', and we'll follow up in this newsletter and other communications to explain exactly what that means.

The Government has set a hard deadline for the Local Plan to be submitted by 31 December 2026, so expect the consultation this autumn.

One thing you can do now
Please forward this to one neighbour, friend or relative who isn't signed up to the newsletter yet. The more residents who get involved, the stronger Rochford's Local Plan will be.

Find out more about the Local Plan on the Rochford District Council website.

23/07/2026

Council Agrees Next Steps for Mill Hall and Freight House
Rochford District Council has agreed the next steps for the future of the Mill Hall Arts & Events Centre and the Freight House following a meeting of the Strategy, Finance, Policy & Economic Development Committee last night (Tuesday 21 July). The decisions will help move forward plans for both buildings and ensure they continue to serve local residents and communities.

Members agreed that the Council will continue to run the Mill Hall Arts & Events Centre for the time being after a process to find an external operator did not result in a suitable appointment. While organisations were interested in the venue, feedback showed that the proposed contract placed too much financial and operational risk on a future operator. The Council will now continue to run the venue while looking at other partnership and operational opportunities and will explore improvements to reduce costs, increase income and strengthen its long-term future.

The Committee also agreed to continue work on identifying the best long-term operating model for the Freight House. Members approved a two-month extension to allow further discussions with Rochford Town Council about a possible Community Asset Transfer and to carry out more detailed work with the two strongest organisations that came forward through the Expression of Interest process. This work will help the Council decide on the most suitable and sustainable way to run the building in the future.

In addition, councillors agreed to establish task and finish groups to oversee progress on both the Mill Hall and the Freight House. The groups will monitor the development of proposals for the two Council-owned assets and help ensure momentum is maintained. Members also agreed that officers and the task and finish groups should report back to the Committee within two months with viable options and recommendations for both sites.

Councillor Adi Malviya, Leader of Rochford District Council and Chair of the Strategy, Finance, Policy & Economic Development Committee, said: "I know there is a long history behind both the Mill Hall and the Freight House and I am keen that we continue to make progress on plans for these important community assets. These decisions allow us to keep moving forward, explore the opportunities available and make sure we secure the best possible operational model and occupiers to protect these important community assets into the future so they can continue to benefit residents, support local people and play an important role in the district for many years to come.

"Last night at the Committee we heard what was important to councillors but I have also been very clear that the priorities and views of residents are very important when the council are making decisions. This month, the Council's budget survey opens and it will be one of the way that residents can tell us what is important to them, especially when it comes to council assets and what services they want to see investment in."

Further reports on both projects will be brought back to Members as the next stages of work are completed.

02/06/2026

01/06/2026

Right now, we're analysing all the evidence from the early spring Regulation 18 consultation. You'll hear more about the Local Plan in late June and early July. In the meantime, we wanted to tell you about an important national change.

Planning has just changed
From 12 May 2026, a significant change to the national planning rules came into effect. It will affect how councils all over the country make decisions, including Rochford, and understanding it will help you to get involved in the process.

What's new?
Previously, when the Development Committee refused a major planning application, that was largely the end of the matter unless the developer appealed.

Now, under new Government rules, any development of 150 or more homes that is refused by the council can be 'called in' by the Secretary of State. This means the decision is taken out of the council's hands entirely and made by central government.

This was already possible in exceptional cases. It will now apply automatically to any refusal of a development of this size.

What does 'called in' mean?
When an application is called in, it goes to the Secretary of State rather than being decided locally.

Typically, this means it's examined by a planning inspector appointed by - you guessed it - the Planning Inspectorate. The final decision is made at a national level.

The council, local councillors and residents can still feed into that process, but the decision is no longer ours to make.

Why has this happened?
The Government has set ambitious national housebuilding targets and has made clear it intends to use its powers to help meet them. This change is part of a broader shift in how much control local councils have over significant planning decisions.

What hasn't changed?
The Local Plan remains important. An application on land that isn't allocated for development in our Local Plan still faces a very significant hurdle, even under the new rules.

Having a Local Plan is a community's most powerful tool for shaping what gets built and where. Planning officers (staff) continue to assess applications thoroughly and impartially, and make recommendations based on planning law and policy.

Councillors on the committee continue to make decisions on a wide range of applications.

What might change next?
The Government consulted earlier this year on further reforms which, if they go ahead, would mean that many of the simpler, more straightforward planning applications would be decided by officers rather than referred to the Development Committee at all.

This would speed up the process and reduce the burden on committees. It also means councillors would have less involvement in day-to-day planning decisions. More would be decided by the strict application of law and policy, rather than political judgement.

We'll keep you factually updated on how these proposals develop.

The bottom line
Planning in Rochford is changing because of decisions made in Westminster that apply to every council in England.

We'll always try to explain clearly what we can and can't influence, and why decisions are made the way they are.

What we ask in return is that those conversations stay constructive for everyone involved. Rochford District Council has zero tolerance for abuse, threats or personal insults directed at either officers or Members in any form, including through social media.

We want to help local people understand the system better so you can get involved. Follow us on social media if you don't already or, for more information about planning, head to

For everything regarding planning permissions and building control.

13/05/2026

View as a web page

Freight House Rochford - Expression of Interest
Rochford District Council has opened an Expression of Interest (EOI) for organisations interested in becoming the future tenant of the Freight House in Rochford. The Council is looking for an experienced operator to deliver a sustainable, community focused and financially viable model for this important civic building. Those interested can read the full press release and find details on how to submit their proposal here : The Freight House | Rochford Council

Freight House
Image of Freight House in Rochford.

Rochford District businesses recognised in Muddy Stiletto Awards 2026
A number of Rochford District businesses have been named as finalists in this year’s Muddy Stiletto Awards, celebrating the very best of independent businesses across Essex. Our apologies we omitted to include the full list of finalists.