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It is considered that a number of the policies including SP02 should be amended to make reference to the circumstances and triggers in which the Brentwood Local Plan would need to be reviewed including failure to deliver the housing within the plan and /or a different spatial strategy or growth levels as a result of the policy approach following adoption of a South Essex Joint Strategic Plan.

Thurrock Council supports in principle the approach taken by Brentwood Council to accommodate its objectively assessed need within Brentwood's boundary, whilst recognising this is an ambitious growth agenda.

It is also recognised that Brentwood Council is committed as a member of the Association of South Essex Authorities (ASELA) to the long term South Essex 2050 Ambition and preparation of a statutory South Essex Joint Strategic Plan (JSP).

Since the summer of 2017 the leaders and chief executives of the South Essex Councils with the inclusion of Brentwood Borough Council and Essex County Council have also come together to develop a shared long term place vision for South Essex and develop the scope for greater strategic collaboration. By late 2017 work on the vision has resulted in the South Essex 2050 Ambition which includes agreement on the key policy themes to be supported, identifies six growth areas to be promoted and the establishment of new joint working arrangements including strategic planning.

In early 2018 the leaders and chief executives have committed to continuing with the vision and formalising the collaboration by forming an Association as agreed in a MOU and known as the Association of South Essex Local Authorities (ASELA). The aims of ASELA include providing place leadership, and the opening up of space for housing, business and leisure development by developing a joint spatial strategy.

More recently, as a member of ASELA, Brentwood Council have signed the Statement of Common Ground for the JSP and Planning Memorandum (MOU) in June-July 2018. A key issue for Brentwood is how the preparation of the Brentwood Local plan will align with the preparation of the South Essex Joint Strategic Plan.

The Brentwood Local Plan is being prepared in advance of the South Essex Joint Strategic Plan. The current timetable for the Brentwood local Plan indicates the plan being adopted winter 2019. The South Essex Joint Strategic Plan is at an early stage of plan preparation and development of the technical evidence base. The JSP will initially cover a plan period up to 2038 and therefore five years beyond the Bentwood Local Plan period but will not be adopted until 2021 at the earliest.

Thurrock Council supports the recognition in the Brentwood Pre-Submission Local Plan (Regulation 19) in paragraphs 1.35 to 1.38 in the commitment to joint collaboration undertaken by ASELA, the South Essex 2050 growth and place-making agenda and the preparation of a South Essex Joint Strategic Plan.

Thurrock Council supports the approach in paragraph 1.38 that the Brentwood Local Plan is likely to need to be reviewed at least in part to ensure any opportunities for additional growth and infrastructure in the borough identified in the JSP can be realised.

Thurrock Council supports the approach that a review of the Brentwood Local Plan would be an effective mechanism to allow the policies and growth set out in the JSP to be incorporated into the Bentwood Local Plan and for future alignment of the timescales of both development plans.

It is considered that a number of the policies including SP02 should be amended to make reference to the circumstances and triggers in which the Brentwood Local Plan would need to be reviewed including failure to deliver the housing within the plan and /or a different spatial strategy or growth levels as a result of the policy approach following adoption of a South Essex Joint Strategic Plan.