TENDRING Council has had fewer planning applications submitted last year than in any over the last decade and approvals were also at a decade low.
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities figures show Tendring Council decided on 914 planning applications in the year to March.
This is 1,032 fewer than the year before and the lowest figure of any year over the last decade.
Figures show fewer planning applications were submitted to the council last year than in any other over the last decade.
Of these, 775 - 85 per cent - were granted, while 139 were refused, meaning the number of granted applications was at a decade-low.
The statistics come as the new Labour Government pledged to build 1.5 million new homes over the next parliament by "bulldozing" restrictive planning rules, encouraging councils to build on brownfield sites, and identifying lower quality areas in the green belt for development.
Across England, councils decided 333,000 planning applications, 12 per cent fewer than last year, approving 86 per cent of these.
Both figures were record lows.
Tendring Council planning boss Andy Baker said: “We have a strong Local Plan, which is currently being reviewed to ensure it remains aligned with the National Planning Policy Framework, along with robust planning policies against which all planning applications are determined.
“The number of applications submitted is outside of our control and is determined by a number of national factors, however, our officers work proactively with applicants to provide guidance on policies and to achieve a positive outcome for their proposal wherever possible.”
Mr Baker added: “Where applications are refused this is done so with good reason.
“There was a spike in applications for household extensions following a change in legislation and the rise in homeworking during the Covid-19 pandemic. This has naturally led to a fall in application levels in subsequent years.
“We understand the Government’s drive to increase housing numbers - we are consistently delivering above the number of homes set by national targets.
“There are also other approaches to boosting the number of homes, such as bringing empty properties back into use, and we are exploring those.”
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