The Neighbourhood Plan
NDP UPDATE FOR BOTH PARISHES 17TH MARCH 2020
The NDP Steering Group (SG) has produced a well advanced, but not yet complete, draft Regulation 16 NDP for the two parish councils (PCs) to forward as a best and final offer to Wiltshire Council and Test Valley Borough Council.
The current draft follows the wide consultation at Regulation 14 last summer, a deep analysis of the comments received and a decision to better define the objectives and policies that ensue without changing fundamentally our vision.
Both local authorities and SG members have been working closely to help us proceed towards a Referendum, including a further screening (by the end of March) and agreeing the addition of Buckholt within the area covered. The next and vital stage would be for the local authorities and an independent examiner to scrutinise (normally over 12 weeks) the formal draft when issued.
Given all our efforts are now are focussed on overcoming the current Coved 19 contagion, the draft is on hold, SG suspended and the referendum will clearly not take place before the autumn or even beyond.
Alan Bannister (SG chairman) has collated and examined all the recent comments on the draft from SG and PC members. He has held discussions with certain stakeholders where that is appropriate. He will not publish the draft more widely while he takes stock of all the evidence and completes the Basic Conditions and Consultation Statements.
He would like to thank all the parishioners and planning officers who have dedicated a lot of time to this important work. He will continue to hone the draft and adapt to new government and local authority policy.
WE ARE NOT GIVING UP ON OUR VISION TO HELP PRESERVE AND SUSTAIN OUR BEAUTIFUL RURAL COMMUNITY. HOWEVER IT WILL HAVE TO BE SET IN THE CONTEXT OF A NEW, AS YET UNCERTAIN, COUNTRY AND WIDER WORLD.
HELPING OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH THE CRISIS REQUIRES OUR FULL ATTENTION.
The Neighbourhood Plan
The introduction of neighbourhood planning is part of wider challenges to the planning system in the Localism Act 2011. The Act claims to shift decision making from central government to communities and councils. Neighbourhood planning helps town and parish councils to prepare a plan for their area, in close consultation with residents, businesses and other local organisations. Neighbourhood Plans are for the social, economic and environmental wellbeing of everyone in the community.
The West Dean and West Tytherley Parish councils have decided to co-operate to produce a joint Neighbourhood Plan for both parishes to ensure the parishes' heritage interests and local environment settings are protected, and local residents are proud and protective of those features that give the area its sense of place and sense of identity. The plan will hopefully go to referendum in Autumn 2019.
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