Evidence base and supporting documents
Set out below are a range of documents that form the evidence base behind the Colchester Local Plan Review. This page will be updated throughout the plan making process.
Housing and economy
| Document/Study | Overview | Date |
| Strategic Land Availability Assessment (SLAA) Methodology (PDF,489KB ) | A Strategic Land Availability Assessment (SLAA) is an essential part of producing a Local Plan. The SLAA appraises sites for their suitability, availability and achievability, with the aim of objectively determining which sites are deliverable over the plan period. | December 2023 |
| Strategic Land Availability Assessment - Desktop Review Report (PDF, 1.28MB) | In addition to the sites received through the Call for Sites process, the council have proactively looked to identify any additional potential sites and locations for growth or green uses to be assessed through the SLAA process, known as the ‘Desktop Review’. This report sets out the process undertaken to carry out the Desktop Review of sites. | April 2024 |
| SLAA - Site Assessments Report - Stage 1 (PDF, 207KB) | This report provides a comprehensive overview of all the sites (those generated from the Call for Sites and Desktop Review) which have been assessed in accordance with the SLAA Methodology and sets out the outcomes of the SLAA Site Assessments Stage 1. | November 2024 |
| Strategic Land Availability Assessment (SLAA): Site Assessments Report Stage 2 (PDF, 5.60MB) | Following the SLAA Stage 1 Report, this report provides an overview of the outcomes of the Stage 2 Site Assessments. This includes details regarding sites assessed for each relevant use, including residential, commercial, infrastructure and green infrastructure. | February 2025 |
| Call for Site Report (PDF, 8704KB) | This report lists the sites that were submitted in the Call for Sites consultation, it explains the process and the next steps. | February 2024 |
| Colchester Local Housing Needs Assessment (PDF, 1.46MB) | This assessment considers the overall need for housing in the city, as well as the need for different types of homes; and the needs of different groups within the local community. | September 2024 |
| Settlements Evidence Part One (PDF, 1.93MB) | This document is Part One of the Settlements Evidence which sets out the current profile for each settlement and identifies high level opportunities and constraints for each location which may be relevant considerations informing other evidence, and plan making. | November 2024 |
| Settlements Evidence Part Two | Part one of the Settlements Evidence sets out a profile and summary of each of Colchester’s settlements. Part two report sets out the changes to the settlement boundary for each of the settlements. | To be published prior to PO consultation |
| Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment (GTAA) (PDF, 856KB) | The primary objective of this Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment (GTAA) is to provide a robust assessment of current and future need for Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople accommodation in Colchester City Council (the council) area. | November 2024 |
| Retail, leisure and town centre study (PDF, 457KB) | The study provides a review of national trends in the retail and commercial leisure sectors and the potential implications the trends have for Colchester’s main centres. | November 2024 |
| Employment Study (PDF, 1.52 MB) | Employment Study setting out evidence base to ensure Local plan that the Local Plan contains sufficient land and suitable policy approaches to drive sustainable economic growth across Colchester. | February 2025 |
Health and wellbeing and community facilities
| Document/Study | Overview | Date |
| Indoor and Built Sports Facilities - Needs Assessment (PDF,5056KB ) | This report provides detail as to what indoor and built sports facilities exists in the authority, its condition, location, availability, and overall quality. | January 2023 |
| Indoor and Built Sports Facilities - Final Strategy (PDF,1150KB ) | The strategy provides a comprehensive assessment of the current level of indoor and built sports facilities available and future supply and demand needs for facility provision over the next 10 years. | January 2023 |
| Playing Pitch and Outdoor Sports Strategy - Assessment Report (PDF,4222KB ) | This report presents a supply and demand assessment of playing pitch and other outdoor sports in accordance with Sport England’s PPOSS guidance. | March 2023 |
| Playing Pitch and Outdoor Sport Strategy – Strategy and Action Plan (PDF,1887KB) | This report provides a strategic framework for the maintenance and improvement of existing playing pitch and accompanying ancillary facilities up to 2033. | June 2023 |
| Open Space Report (PDF,2185KB ) | This document provides detail regarding what open space provision exists in the area, its condition, distribution and overall quality and will help inform direction on the future provision. | April 2023 |
| Planning for health and wellbeing (PDF 5,005KB) | The baseline health and wellbeing evidence in this report was collated in collaboration with Health and Wellbeing colleagues at both Essex County Council and North-East Essex ICB Alliance and support from the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA). | January 2025 |
Environment
| Document/Study | Overview | Date |
| Landscape Character Assessment (PDF, 11.1MB) | This study updates the Colchester Borough Landscape Character Assessment undertaken in 2005. The review creates a comprehensive and up to date strategic-scale landscape evidence base. | November 2024 |
| Green Network and Waterways Guiding Principles (PDF, 554KB) | This report sets out the guiding principles for Colchester’s Green Network and Waterways. Addressing the climate emergency and managing the city’s open spaces. | May 2024 |
| Emerging Allocations Biodiversity Study (PDF, 2.07MB) | The biodiversity study considers the emerging allocations from the point of view of any discernible ecological constraints. The study includes an assessment of the likely Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements and the capacity of the sites to achieve them and recommends biodiversity mitigation and enhancement measures. | November 2024 |
| Botanical Surveys of Middlewick Ranges with Area 2 Species by family (PDF, 12.4MB) Interim report Invertebrates Middlewick Ranges (PDF,842.25KB) |
The Botanical and Invertebrate Ecological Surveys are interim reports and will have further updates following additional surveys in the spring 2025. These independent surveys have been commissioned by Colchester City Council to help inform planning considerations in respect of Middlewick Colchester. | December 2024 |
| Level 1 Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA) (PDF, 886KB) | An SFRA is a live document which provides an overview of the risk of flooding from all sources in the planning authority area, taking into the account the impacts of climate change, as well as assessing the impact that land use changes and development in the area could have on flood risk. | January 2025 |
| Strategic Biodiversity Assessment (PDF 1,363KB) | This study considers the principles that could underpin an approach to conserving and enhancing biodiversity and defines strategic biodiversity areas across Colchester that are of most significance for the conservation of biodiversity. | January 2025 |
| Colchester Preferred Options Local Plan Sustainability Appraisal Report Colchester City Council Final report (PDF, 5.46MB) Appendices for Colchester Preferred Options Local Plan Sustainability Appraisal Report Colchester City Council Final report (PDF, 8.32MB) |
This report and accompanying appendices provide the Sustainability Appraisal to support the Colchester Preferred Options (Regulation 18) Local Plan and it should be read in conjunction with that document. | February 2025 |
| Habitat Regulations Assessment (HRA), (PDF, 4.80MB) | The overall purpose of the HRA is to conclude whether or not a proposal or policy, or whole development plan would adversely affect the integrity of habitats sites. | February 2025 |
| Heritage Impact Assessment (Stage 1) (PDF, 501KB) | This assessment provides a high-level sift of the sites being considered for allocation to determine the need for, and level of, further any heritage impact assessment. | February 2025 |
Infastructure
| Document/Study | Overview | Date |
| Infrastructure Audit and Delivery Plan Stages 1 and 2 (PDF, 5.35MB ) | The purpose of the Infrastructure Audit and Delivery Plan (IADP) is to identify the infrastructure which is required to meet the growth anticipated in Colchester over the Local Plan period to 2041, along with the associated costs, timing and delivery arrangements for that infrastructure. | December 2024 |
| Colchester Infrastructure Audit and Delivery Plan Stage 3 Report (PDF, 7.13 MB) Appendix A |
The purpose of the Infrastructure Audit and Delivery Plan (IADP) is to identify the infrastructure which is required to meet the growth anticipated in Colchester over the Local Plan period to 2041. This report is Stage 3 following Stage 1 and 2 which was published in 2024. This report assess an initial draft emerging development trajectory which identified a shortlist of potential allocations for further testing based on the preferred spatial strategy, following an assessment of sites through the Strategic Land Availability Assessment (SLAA) and against other available evidence. This considers the demand which potential planned growth will generate for each infrastructure type, and how infrastructure will be provided to meet this demand to 2041. |
February 2025 |
| Transport Evidence Executive Summary | Provides a high level summary of the key outputs from transport evidence to support the Local Plan. It considers the transport impacts arising from proposed growth. The executive summary supports a full report and modelling which is due to be published by 14 February 2025. | February 2025 |
| Transport Evidence Modelling and Assessment Overview Appendix A (PDF, 4.14MB) Transport evidence document (PDF, 3.44MB) |
The transport evidence assists in developing and assessing preferred site allocations from the perspective of transport. This has been achieved through reviewing the sustainability of locations for development, consideration of mitigation approaches and using transport modelling to gauge the impact of the preferred allocations. | February 2025 |
| Water Cycle Study (PDF, 123KB) | The Water Cycle Study assesses the level of development planned for across Colchester with regard to water supply capacity, sewage capacity and any water quality issues or infrastructure upgrades that may be required, to identify any potential constraints to the water cycle which development may pose. | February 2025 |
| DRAFT Colchester Whole Plan Viability Assessment (PDF, 3.67MB) | This provides an evidence base to assist in identifying the viability impacts of emerging planning policies in its Draft Local Plan (Preferred Options Local Plan Regulation 18). | February 2025 |
Page last reviewed: 27 March 2025