TODAY (Monday 15 February) sees the launch of a major consultation concerning where new housing in the district should be built. Uttlesford District Council has to decide where 4000 new homes should be built in the district by 2026. In order to meet gover

TODAY (Monday 15 February) sees the launch of a major consultation concerning where new housing in the district should be built.

Uttlesford District Council has to decide where 4000 new homes should be built in the district by 2026.

In order to meet government housing targets, some 10,150 new homes must be provided in Uttlesford between 2001 and 2026. More than half currently have planning permission or will be on already identified sites, but sites still need to be found for 4000 homes.

Due to the significance of this project, every household in the district is being sent a leaflet and response form to enable as many people as possible to have their say on how these homes should be provided.

The document the consultation will help shape is known as the Core Strategy, the key plan that sets out the long-term vision and objectives for the district including housing development.

There are a large number of documents associated with the Core Strategy, all of which can be viewed on the council's website at www.uttlesford.gov.uk/corestrategy. You can participate in more in-depth consultation online too.

You may want to just read a summary and make general comments or share ideas; you may want to take a close look at everything involved and submit detailed comments on specific areas of the strategy.

Copies of the key documents are also available at Uttlesford District Council's customer service centres in Saffron Walden, Great Dunmow and Thaxted, and at libraries in Saffron Walden, Great Dunmow, Thaxted and Stansted Mountfitchet.

Two public meetings are taking place next month, when the Core Strategy will be discussed.

These are the North and South Community Forums, which will take place in Great Dunmow on March 2 and Saffron Walden on March 4.

The Core Strategy does not solely concern housing. Other elements include Stansted Airport, employment, and gypsy and traveller pitch provision. You can have your say on all of these by taking part in the consultation.

Leader of Uttlesford District Council, Cllr Jim Ketteridge, said: "This council will have to make some very difficult decisions about housing and this important consultation gives the people of Uttlesford a chance to help shape the future of the district.

"Encompassing issues including the airport and employment, as well as the major question of how we should accommodate an additional 4000 homes in Uttlesford, this is a consultation that I'm sure everyone will have an opinion on.

"We look forward to listening to those opinions and taking them into consideration when we decide how to meet the significant challenges facing the district in the coming years.