- Jan 2005: Local Plan adopted
- May 2011: Conservative UDC administration starts new Local Plan
- Jan 2012: Strategy adopted to build new town joining Elsenham & Henham and extending larger towns and villages
- Mar 2013: Required housing number increases from 338 to 415 a year
- Oct 2013: Plan extended to 15+ years length after Planning Inspector intervention
- Oct 2014: Required housing number increases to 523 a year
- Nov 2014: Plan cumulative cost: £2m
- Dec 2014: Plan rejected by Planning Inspector for multiple failures
- Sep 2015: Required housing number increases to 568 a year
- Aug 2016: Major delay as UDC’s flagship new town site rejected by Secretary of State
- Oct 2016: Local Plan air quality study for Saffron Walden fails scrutiny review
- Oct 2016: R4U writes to Planning Inspector to highlight on-going failures
- Oct 2016: Major plan delay as unsustainable “Greater Walden” town extension abandoned due to road capacity
- Jun 2017: New strategy adopted for 3 new towns near at Easton Park, near Great Chesterford and near Stebbing/Felsted
- Jul 2017: Required housing number increases to 641 a year
- Jul 2017: Major delay after further public consultation required
- Jun 2018: Neighbouring Braintree Plan rejected bringing into question conjoined new town at Stebbing/Felsted
- Jun 2018: Required housing number increases to 705 a year from 2022
- Aug 2018: Plan cumulative cost: £4m
- Sep 2018: Further delay plan after Braintree Plan refusal
- Nov 2018: Independent consultant AECOM finds multiple failures
- Jan 2019: New draft Local Plan submitted to Inspector
- May 2019: Conservative administration replaced by R4U
- Jun 2019: Local Plan Examination undertaken (of previous administration’s Plan)
- Jan 2020: Plan cumulative cost: £6m
- Jan 2020: Previous administration’s Plan rejected by Planning Inspector for multiple failures