Jam was commissioned to Review Chelmsford City Council’s SA of the Local Plan in respect of a proposed site allocation for a new settlement of up to 3,000 homes at Hammonds Farm.  The SA had recommended the rejection of the site for inclusion within the Local Plan. 

 

Jam’s review found a deeply flawed approach to the SA including, in particular, the failure to assess the alternatives in the same level of detail as the Preferred Option or with the inclusion of mitigation measures and cumulative impacts, contrary to the regulations and guidance.  A revised SA was prepared as a result of the representations made on the pre-submission SA, however, the issues identified were not rectified and Hammonds Farm was not included within the Local Plan. 

 

The Council has recently published the Preferred Options for the Local Plan as part of its review, which now includes an allocation of up to 4,000 homes at Hammonds Farm.