Housebuilding targets in Tendring have doubled as a result of the government’s ambition to build 1.5million new homes across the country over the next five years.

Tendring District Council’s (TDC) Local Plan review has been put on hold while it works out a plan to meet the new targets – which will require an increase from 550 homes per year to 1,034 homes per year from January 2026. By 2041 the council will have to plan for an additional 7,000-8,000 new homes over and above the 9,600 already in its current proposals.

The council’s Planning Policy and Local Plan committee has raised concerns about the sudden increase in housing required by the new targets, and a potential government delays in signing off Local Plans due to the number of local authorities being in the same position.

Four new alternatives have now been identified for public consultation, all of which include proposals for major growth in the Harwich area, the potential establishment of two or more new garden villages on key transport corridors, with different scales of development across the district’s other towns and villages.

• Option A – A120 and Railway Focus. In addition to significant growth at Harwich, and smaller scale development around villages across the district, this option proposes the establishment of two new garden villages of between 1,500 and 5,000 homes – one in the Frating/Great Bromley/Hare Green area and one at Horsley Cross, as part of an A120-focussed growth strategy delivering road connectivity improvements. It also includes more growth around the district’s larger villages with railway stations.
• Option B – Central Triangle of Garden Villages. As well as garden villages at Frating/Great Bromley/Hare Green and Horsley Cross, this option includes a third garden village at Weeley, delivering around 1,000 new homes through strategic expansion with good access to the rail and road networks.
• Option C – A133/B1033 Garden Villages. This option proposes three new garden villages – one at Frating/Great Bromley/Hare Green, one at Weeley, and one at Thorpe-le-Soken, as part of an A133/B1033 focussed strategy, delivering improvements to the capacity of the A133 and a possible bypass around Thorpe. Other large villages with railway stations would experience a level of growth proportionate to their existing size.
• Option D – Four Garden Villages. This option proposes four new garden villages – one at Horsley Cross, one at Frating/Great Bromley/Hare Green, one at Weeley, and one at Thorpe-le-Soken. This option combines the strategy from the previous options, promoting growth on the A120 corridor towards Harwich, and the A133/B1033 corridor towards Clacton, Frinton and Walton.

Councillor Andy Baker, TDC’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning, said: “The sheer scale of the increase presents some very big challenges and means we have had to go back to the drawing board with the options.

“While we recognise the need for more housing, these housebuilding targets are going to be very tough to achieve. Most towns and villages in the district will be affected in some way and it is likely we will also need to establish a number of new garden villages.”

A document with the proposed changes will go out for public consultation in the spring, with a final plan expected to be submitted to the Secretary of State for public examination in early 2026.

• From April, TDC’s portion of the council tax bill will rise by 2.99%, bringing the amount the average Band D home pays to the council to £199.52 per year, or just under £3.85 per week. This represents an annual increase of £5.79, or slightly over 11p per week. The council says it now has a balanced budget for the 2025/26 year. Rents on the council’s 3,000 homes will increase by 2.7%

A surplus of £839,000, mainly from business rate increases, will be added to the council’s Forecast Risk Fund.