The Local Development Framework is intended to replace the old planning system so as to improve flexibility and sustainability for the planning system.

A Local Development Framework will have to comply with national planning policies including the Planning Policy Guidances and the Planning Policy Statements as well as to conform to the Regional Spatial Strategy.

The key aims of the LDF process are to:

• Allow greater flexibility in plan making so that strategies and policies can be evolved and updated as required;
• Enable greater public involvement during the plan-making process; and,
• Be based upon the soundness of planning documents both in terms of their content, the process of producing them, and the evidence base which supports the documents.

Rather than a single document, the LDF takes the form of a portfolio of documents:

East of England Plan - At the regional level, the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) for the region is the East of England Plan.

Statement of Community Involvement - A Statement of Community Involvement specifies how the public and various stakeholders will be involved.

Local Development Scheme - The Local Development Scheme (LDS) sets out a description of the Development Plan Documents (DPDs) to be prepared, the timetable for their production and a brief explanation of how they relate to one another.

Local Development Documents (LDDs) comprise Development Plan Documents (DPDs) and Supplementary Documents (SPDs).

• Core Strategy DPD
• Maldon Central Area Action Plan DPD

Background Information and Evidence - The Evidence Base is a compilation of documents and studies used to support and justify policy formulation in DPDs and SPDs.

Annual Monitoring Reports - Annual Monitoring Reports monitor the implementation and performance of strategies and policies.