The Growth and Infrastructure Framework (GIF) is a strategic document and supporting dataset that draws together the planned population, housing and economic growth of Greater Essex. The aim is to deliver an assessment of the cumulative capital costs of infrastructure required to deliver this growth.

The GIF was initiated in late 2015 by the Housing and Connectivity and Infrastructure and Growth workstreams of the Greater Essex devolution programme. Essex County Council (ECC) has managed the project on behalf of all the Councils in Essex and with the support of sub-regional leads.

The GIF has already been used to facilitate collaboration between ECC and Greater Essex Local Authorities (GELAs), and has enabled more insightful conversations around matters including priorities and cost-effective ways to meet recommendations surrounding infrastructure schemes and development sites. In future, the GIF will also be used as a lobbying tool to access financial support from funding partners.

Essex needs considerable investment if it is to address current infrastructure shortfalls and support the growth ambitions of the Local Plan over the next 20 years. The GIF will support this ambition by helping us to:

• Determine the scale and distribution of population, housing and economic growth up until 2036.
• Determine the scale and cost of infrastructure required to support planned growth.
• Develop engagement routes with utility companies, the NHS, Network Rail and Highways England at a bigger-than-local scale (given such entities are often difficult to engage).
• Determine the scale of the funding gap for infrastructure according to sector or activity – i.e. schools, transport etc.
• Provide a platform via which local authorities in Essex can collaborate to develop a spatial picture of infrastructure requirement in all areas of the county, identifying the most strategically significant infrastructure projects.
• Deliver a holistic message to central government, SELEP and other funding partners in order to leverage financial support.
• Identify how to bring about better service planning for infrastructure.