Southend draft Local Plan proposes lower housing target and greater local control over development

July 27, 2026

Southend-on-Sea City Council has hosted the first of a series of cross-party councillor working groups ahead of the next stage of the Local Plan process.

The Local Plan will guide development in Southend up to 2045 and help determine where new homes, jobs, services and infrastructure are located across the city.

The next stage of the process known as Regulation 19, will begin in September. The first working group was focused on housing, one of the most important elements of the Plan.

An adopted Local Plan gives the Council greater control over how and where development takes place. Without an up-to-date Local Plan, development will still come forward, with a higher risk of supporting infrastructure not being delivered. Furthermore, the Council would continue to be held to the government set housing target of over 28,000 new homes.

The new Southend on Sea Local Plan proposes to reduce this to 14,700 up to 2045 if approved and gives much greater control to the Council. Adopting the Plan will also reduce the risk of speculative applications coming forward in unsuitable locations and enable the council to optimise the benefits for residents.

A key element of the draft Plan is the proposed infrastructure-led neighbourhood on land north of Southend. The site could provide around 4,900 homes, alongside transport improvements, schools, health facilities, employment space, public amenity and community facilities.

Importantly, the proposal would also create a major new country park, making it one of the largest areas of publicly accessible green space in Southend and providing significant environmental and recreational benefits for residents.

The draft Plan also includes stronger affordable housing requirements and tighter controls on Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), helping to protect family housing and support mixed, sustainable communities.

Cllr Kevin Robinson, Cabinet Member for Planning, Property and Governance, said: "The Local Plan gives Southend an ambitious way forward while securing improved control over its future growth and supports infrastructure-led development that works for residents whilst encouraging investment and good growth. It uses a strong evidence base to demonstrate the ability to deliver up to 14,700 homes, less than the government's housing target for the city, but still very stretching.

“Without an up-to-date Local Plan, government housing targets and speculative development would have a much greater influence over what gets built and where. That's why it's so important we have a robust plan in place.”