Permission in Principle Secured for 2 to 3 Dwellings at Tiptree

In 2026, I acted as planning agent, preparing and submitting a Permission in Principle application on behalf of the landowner for between 2 and 3 dwellings on land near Tiptree.

Colchester City Council granted Permission in Principle for the scheme in 2026.

The Permission in Principle Application

Permission in Principle (PiP) is a two-stage consenting route introduced under the Town and Country Planning (Permission in Principle) (Amendment) Order 2017.

The first stage — the one pursued here — establishes only the principle of location, land use and amount of development. Design, layout, landscaping and technical matters are deliberately left to a later Technical Details Consent stage.

For this site, PiP was the right tool for two reasons.

• First, the site lies outside the settlement boundary for Tiptree, meaning the application needed to succeed on material considerations rather than compliance with the adopted development plan.

• Second, an early, narrowly-scoped decision on principle and quantum allowed the client to establish deliverability before committing to detailed design work — reducing risk and cost at the outset.

Building the Planning Case

The application rested on three mutually reinforcing arguments.

An extant and lawfully commenced fallback position. The site was previously occupied a pair of Cottages that have since been demolished. A permisison from around 10-years ago allowed the replacement of these cottages with a large dwelling. That permission was commenced but never completed. This permisison carried significant weight as a realistic alternative.

Colchester's housing land supply position. The adopted Colchester Local Plan sets a housing requirement of 920 dwellings per annum. Following the Government's December 2024 update to the standard method, Colchester's minimum local housing need rises to 1,300 dwellings per annum. Applying that figure to the Council's most recent deliverable homes evidence produces a housing land supply of only 3.58 years — below the required five years. Under paragraph 12 of the NPPF, this shortfall is a material consideration capable of justifying a departure from an otherwise up-to-date development plan.

Established residential use and previously developed land status. Although the cottages have been demolished, the site's lawful use remains residential, and its physical characteristics — enclosed by established landscaping, previously built upon, sitting within a domesticated and managed parcel — mean it does not read as open countryside. This supported the case that redevelopment here represents an efficient use of previously developed land, consistent with NPPF policy on optimising land use.

Addressing Sustainability

The site sits between the smaller settlement of Tolleshunt Knights and the Tiptree, with established public footpaths providing pedestrian connectivity and bus routes offering regular services toward Witham, including rail interchange. This was used to demonstrate that future occupiers would not be reliant solely on the private car — an important test under paragraph 83 of the NPPF for housing in rural areas.

Colchester City Council subequently granted Permission in Principle for 2 to 3 dwellings, confirming the principle of residential redevelopment on the site ahead of a future Technical Details Consent application.

Planning Application Advice

Own land with potential for development? A Permission in Principle application could establish the value and deliverability of your site before you invest in the design and techncial matters. Contact me to see how I can assist your project.

Andrew Ransome MRTPI - Email: andrew@andrewransome.co.uk

About me

Andrew Ransome is a Planning Director and a Chartered Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), with more than two decades of experience in town planning.

He specialises in delivering strategic planning solutions for complex developments across both rural and urban environments, helping clients navigate planning challenges and unlock development opportunities. Connect with Andrew on Linkedin.

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Get in touch for planning advice: Email: andrew@andrewransome.co.uk

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