View the documents and research used to support the New Local Plan.
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.
| Document/Study | Overview | Date |
| Employment Study (2026) | An updated Employment Study which sets out detailed evidence base to support the Local Plan to 2043, with the specific aim to ensure that the Local Plan contains sufficient land and suitable policy approaches to drive sustainable economic growth across Colchester. | August 2026 |
| Marks Tey Growth Area: Background Report | Report prepared to support proposals for a single policy for the Marks Tey Growth Area. The report summarises the process and evidence used to take forward proposals for the Marks Tey Growth Area. | August 2026 |
| Colchester Local Housing Need Assessment (2026) | This is an update of the September 2024 evidence which 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. | August 2026 |
| Retail, Leisure and Town Centres Addendum | This provides an update to the Retail, Leisure and Town Centres Study which includes revised forecast assessments for retail provision in Colchester. | August 2026 |
| 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 |
| Strategic Land Availability Assessment (SLAA):Site Assessments Report Stages 1 and 2 for sites submitted at Regulation 18 Consultation(PDF, 6MB) | This report sets out the outcomes of the SLAA Assessments for additional, or significantly amended, sites submitted as part of the Regulation 18 consultation. The sites have been assessed in accordance with the SLAA Methodology and sets out the outcomes of the SLAA Stage 1 and Stage 2 Site Assessments. | May 2026 |
| Summary of Evidence (PDF, 18KB) | Summary of Sites Assessment provides a high level summary about the characteristics of each site, outcomes from the SLAA review and site specific considerations based on other evidence base documents. | October 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 |
| Settlement Evidence Stage 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. | October 2025 |
| 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 |
| Colchester Retail Study 2024 Appendices A - F (PDF, 12.3MB) | Appendices supporting Retail, Leisure and Town Centre Study. | November 2025 |
| Local Centres Evidence (PDF, 3.28MB) | Evidence base supporting local centre designation in the preferred options local plan. | November 2025 |
| 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 |
| Document/Study | Overview | Date |
| Equality Impact Assessment and Health Impact Assessment | This provides an assessment of the equality and health and wellbeing impacts of the Submission Draft Regulation 19 Local Plan policies. This is a draft document and is subject to amendments following a full review by the Council's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead. | August 2026 |
| 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 |
| Facilities Planning Model Assessment of Sports Hall Provision for Colchester Borough Council (PDF,3.2MB) | This report, by Sport England, provides an initial assessment of the current supply and demand for provision of sports halls in Colchester district in 2022 based on an assessment using the Sport England Facilities Planning Model (FPM) spatial modelling tool. | November 2022 |
| Facilities Planning Model Assessment of Swimming Pool Provision for Colchester Borough Council (PDF,3.2MB) | This report, by Sport England, provides an initial assessment of the current supply and demand for provision of swimming pools in Colchester district in 2022 based on an assessment using the Sport England Facilities Planning Model (FPM) spatial modelling tool. | November 2022 |
| Colchester’s Playing Pitch Outdoor Sport Strategy (PDF,257 KB) | The Colchester Playing Pitch & Outdoor Sport Strategy (PPOSS) Update 2026 provides an updated evidence base for outdoor sports facilities across Colchester. | March 2026 |
| Document/Study | Overview | Date |
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North East Colchester PP9 Ecology Review Report North East Colchester PP9 Ecology Review Spreadsheet North East Colchester PP9 Landscape Review 2026
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To properly consider the landscape and ecology matters raised in representations, the Council commissioned independent reviews by Place Services (ecology) and The Landscape Partnership (landscape). | August 2026 |
| Heritage Impact Sift Assessment (2026) | This assessment provides a high-level sift of additional sites being considered for allocation to determine the need for, and level of, further any heritage impact assessment. | August 2026 |
| SA Report for Colchester Submission Draft Local Plan (reg 19) and accompanying appendices Sustainability Appraisal (August 2026) |
This report and accompanying appendices provide the Sustainability Appraisal to support the Colchester Submission Draft (Regulation 19) Local Plan and it should be read in conjunction with that document | August 2026 |
| Colchester Reg 19 NTS | Sustainability Study non-Technical Summary | August 2026 |
| Habitats Regulation Assessment (HRA) (August 2026) | 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. | August 2026 |
| Level 1 Strategic Flood Risk Assessment |
The Level 1 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. The appendices to this document are not uploaded due to their large file size. These can be requested by emailing local.plan@colchester.gov.uk. |
August 2026 |
| Level 2 Strategic Flood Risk Assessment | This provides an assessment of flood risk across site allocations in Colchester, identifying flood risks constraints and safety of development. Detailed flood risk assessments have been prepared for sites at higher flood risk which consider site specific recommendations for mitigating flood risk on development | August 2026 |
| Flood Risk Sequential Test (Revised August 2026) | A revised version of the flood risk sequential test carried out to support the Local Plan. The sequential test aims to steer new development to areas of lowest flood risk. This version shows additional assessments completed for new sites in the plan, and makes some corrections to the original version published in October 2025. | August 2026 |
| Colchester Local Wildlife Sites Network: Partial Review Findings and Recommendations Report (PDF, 59MB) | The Partial LoWS Review includes the assessment of 26 existing LoWS located within 50 metres of emerging and/or preferred site allocations coming forwards as part of the new Local Plan. It is recognised that this is not a full review of the entire LoWS network but rather a targeted, partial review as part of the wider Local Plan evidence base. | September 2025 |
| Colchester Lows Review Addendum Final February 2026 (PDF, 16.6MB) | The addendum to the September 2025 LoWS Review has reviewed extensions to existing LoWS, assessed new potential LoWS and carried out a desk-based review of some of the preferred options site allocations for biodiversity implications. | February 2026 |
| 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 |
| Final report of entomological survey and assessment of Middlewick Ranges Colchester 2024-25. This incorporates the assessments of the surveys carried out in Spring 2025. | ||
| 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 |
| Colchester Sequential Test Database (PDF, 889KB) | This database provides an assessment of potential development sites against the latest flood risk information available, to enable Colchester City Council to apply a sequential, risk-based approach to the location of development. For more information on the datasets used, the reader should read the SFRA | July 2025 |
| Colchester Sequential Test Report (PDF, 7331KB) | The Flood Risk Sequential Test process is a decision-making process undertaken by the Council, informed by the Results of the Site Assessment Database and recommendations within the Level 1 strategic flood risk assessment. The aim of the sequential test is to steer new development to areas with the lowest risk of flooding from any source | September 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, 187KB) | 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 |
| Stage 2 Colchester Local Plan HIA (PDF, 83MB) | Stage 2 Heritage Impact Assessments for each Preferred Options site allocation. | January 2026 |
| Heritage Impact Assessment Turley 2021 (PDF, 6MB) | Heritage Impact Assessments undertaken in 2021 relevant to Preferred Options Plan site allocations. | July 2021 |
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Heritage Impact Assessments for new and extended sites following the regulation 18 consultation.
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October 2026
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This is an addendum to the Stage 2 January 2026 report following comments from Historic England.
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October 2026
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| Document/Study | Overview | Date |
| Colchester Infrastructure Audit and Delivery Plan (IADP) Stage 4: Report | The purpose of the Stage 4 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, along with associated costs, timing and delivery arrangements for that infrastructure. | August 2026 |
| Appendix A Colchester IADP Stage 4: Project Schedule | The IADP Project Schedule accompanies the infrastructure assessment and lists all infrastructure projects which have been identified. | August 2026 |
| Colchester Local Plan Regulation 19 Transport Evidence | Report assesses the transportation impact of proposed new local plan growth. The assessment extends the transportation evidence collated in the Colchester Local Plan Review: Further Transport Evidence Report (2025). | August 2026 |
| Whole Plan Viability Assessment (Regulation 19) | This provides an evidence base to assist in identifying the viability impacts of emerging planning policies in its Submission Draft Regulation 19 Local Plan. | August 2026 |
| Appendices to the Colchester Whole Plan Viability Assessment (August 2026) | Appendices to the Colchester Whole Plan Viability Assessment (August 2026). This includes full appraisals run for the strategic sites in the plan and site typologies used in the assessment. | August 2026 |
| Water Cycle Study (August 2026) | 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. | August 2026 |
| Infrastructure Audit and Delivery Plan Stage 3 Report Updated - October 2025 (PDF,14000KB) | This report provides up update to the IADP published in February 2025, to support the Preferred Options Local Plan. It identifies the potential demand the planned growth will generate for each infrastructure type. Where information is available it identifies the likely costs and funding sources for delivery to support the proposed growth. | October 2025 |
| Appendix A to the Infrastructure Audit and Delivery Plan Stage 3 Report Updated – October 2025 (PDF,7000KB) | This Appendix provides a project schedule based on the outputs identified in the updated to the IADP (October 2025), to support the Preferred Options Local Plan. | October 2025 |
| 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, 7.13MB) 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 |
| Further Transport Evidence Colchester Local Plan October 2025 (PDF,100KB) | 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. This report provides further evidence to support the Preferred Option Local Plan prepared between February and October 2025. | October 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 |
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Water Cycle Study (PDF, 123KB) Water Cycle Study Preferred Options Local Plan Final October 2025 (PDF, 10,619KB) |
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 |
| Colchester Whole Plan Viability Assessment Report Final October 2025 (PDF,1.9MB) | 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) (Final 2025). | October 2025 |
| Colchester Whole Plan Viability Appendices Final October 2025 (PDF,10.9MB) | Appendices to the Colchester Whole Plan Viability Assessment (October 2025). | October 2025 |
| Full Appraisals document (PDF, 2.65MB) | Full appraisals of Typologies and Strategic Sites supporting Whole Plan viability | October 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 |