TENDRING Council's development masterplan is finally set to be officially adopted by councillors... eleven years late.

Last year independent inspectors paved the way for the Local Plan, the district's planning blueprint, to be approved.

Tendring Council’s last Local Plan was due to be replaced in 2011, but it has suffered repeated delays.

It led to the district being inundated with applications for thousands of homes in recent years as the council could not identify a five-year supply of housing, as stipulated by the Government.

Parish councillors claimed that led to the district being exploited by rogue developers and speculative applications.

Section two of Tendring Council’s Local Plan, which was subjected a two-week public hearing, was found “legally sound” by inspectors in November.

It is now set to be formally adopted by the council at a meeting on Tuesday, January 25.

Nick Turner, chairman of the council’s planning policy and Local Plan committee, said: "Not only does this strengthen our hand against rogue developers who may wish to build on areas we consider inappropriate, but also gives us impetus to move towards a sustainable future."

The Local Plan blueprint sets out how development should take place across the district until 2033.

Section one of the plan, which was submitted jointly by Tendring Council along with Colchester Council and Braintree Council, looked at strategic planning matters and section two, which is unique to Tendring, provides more detail on where housing and other development will take place.