Addison & Associates have been commissioned to undertake a review of the spatial planning service for Essex County Council to identify “what an effective and efficient county spatial capacity looks like, how is it resourced, and how can it remain flexible and adaptable in a time of significant organisational and external change?”

This is a challenging time for county councils and their ability to deliver a genuinely integrated spatial planning function.  The nature of spatial planning functions as currently defined and the continual evolving understanding of them is very demanding.  This will be particularly the case following the forthcoming election and in the light of the current economic situation as it affects local authority budgets.  These factors will also impact on local authorities’ ability to deliver their aspirations on the ground.  Added to this is the extra challenge of seeking to continually improve the provision of spatial planning in collaboration with a range of partners at a time of evolving requirements e.g. responding to climate change.

The key objectives of the review are:

• To define what an effective and efficient county spatial capacity should look like, 

• To identify how it should be resourced, 

• To suggest ways in which the spatial planning function can remain flexible and adaptable in a time of significant organisational and external change,

• To evaluate how the existing capability meets the standard defined,

• To identify ways to improve performance particularly in the light of experience elsewhere and including consideration of the level and skills of staff resources required and any efficiency savings.