Essex County Council is responsible for planning issues relating to strategic planning, mineral and waste planning and land and buildings owned by the council. Planning queries relating to residential and business needs are managed by local district and borough council planning departments.

 

Strategic planning relates to issues that are likely to have an impact across the whole of Essex and its sub-regions, such as the East of England plan and issues surrounding Stansted Airport. Much of this work relates to medium term and long term development issues and major projects.

 

Minerals and waste planning focuses on planning issues relating to waste disposal and mineral extraction sites across the county. The team is also responsible for planning issues relating to land and properties owned by Essex County Council.

Essex County Council is also responsible for managing the major travel improvement schemes across the county, as outlined in the Local Transport Plan. We provide information about these schemes, as well as guidance for developers, as part of our Transport Planning department.

 

Responsibility for the following areas does not fall to the Essex County Council Planning Department, and enquiries should be addressed to the contact supplied. 

Enquiries relating to the planning and development of new and existing schools, and the consultation processes involved, should be addressed to the School Organisation and Planning team.

All planning applications within the Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock unitary authority areas should be addressed to the relevant unitary authority.
 

All enquiries relating to the sale and lease of private land should be addressed to the local district or borough council.
 

All planning applications are monitored by the council for their likely impact on archaeological remains. Where development may impact a scheduled ancient monument, contact English Heritage for advice.
 

For all information about Country Parks in Essex, visit the Country Parks website.

Consent to alter, extend or demolish a listed building must be obtained from your local district or borough council. To find out if a building is listed, contact English Heritage.
 

For information on urban design and regeneration in Essex, visit the Essex Design Initiative website.

All work relating to fly-tipping is carried out at district and borough level.

 

For any other enquiries relating to planning issues, contact the Essex County Council contact centre directly.