Neighbourhood Plan

    Securing the future of our villages, amenities, and the health and wellbeing of the community

    How we got here

    Neighbourhood Planning is a right for communities introduced through the Localism Act 2011.

    Through the use of a Neighbourhood Plan, communities can shape development in their areas. Once adopted, Neighbourhood Plans become part of the Local Plan for the area and the policies contained within them are then used in the consideration and determination of planning applications.

    Neighbourhood Plans cannot block or stop development that would already be allowed under the Local Plan, however what they can do is shape where development will be located, what it will deliver and what it will look like.

    The benefit of a Neighbourhood Plan is it is written by the Local Community, the people who know and love the area, rather than the Local Planning Authority. It is a powerful tool to ensure that the community gets the right type of development, in the right place.

    In 2013 the residents of Burcot and Clifton Hampden, having decided that it wanted to be in control of its future, set up a Neighbourhood Plan Committee to develop proposals for the future of the Parish.

    Our neighbourhood plan

    Our vision is for a single, thriving, sustainable parish formed of two distinct villages, each with its own particular identity and character, with shared facilities and amenities.

    The village plan survey 2015

    The project started with the Village Plan Survey conducted in 2015. You can find the survey results here and the Village Plan itself here.

    The launch event

    At the Annual Village meeting on 24 May 2017, we launched the project to develop our Neighbourhood Plan.

    You can find the presentation that we gave here.

    Following the launch, we consulted with SODC about how to address our development needs in the Plan. At that point it became clear that, because we are in the Green Belt, the Parish Council would also have to develop a Neighbourhood Development Order (NDO). An NDO is in effect a planning application owned by the community.

    2018 update

    At the Annual Village Meeting on 16 May 2018, we presented the new twin track approach of a Neighbourhood Plan and NDO to residents. You can find the presentation that we have here.

    Follow up survey and drop in consultation 2018

    Because of the time that had elapsed since the original survey in 2015, we conducted a follow up survey in late 2018, and two drop-in consultation events on 7 and 10 November 2018.

    You can find the results of the survey here.

    You can find a link to the drop in consultation material here, with analysis of responses.

    The result of these consultations was a strong mandate from the community to proceed with a Neighbourhood Plan and NDO that would deliver the vision and developments set out here:

    2019 update

    At the Annual Village Meeting on 15 May 2019, we presented these findings, and the intention to proceed on the basis of two ‘indicative’ sites, one north, and one south, of the A415 a short distance to the west of the Clifton Hampden crossroads. (See slides 9 & 10). View 2019 Neighbourhood Plan here.

    We emphasise that the scale, design and positioning of development on each of the sites is ‘work in progress’. Our latest thinking is that the surgery and most of the new homes should be on the northern site. And about 5-6 homes on the southern site.

    2020 update

    Progress since May 2019

    Since the village meeting in May 2019, we have:

    • Won publicly funded grants of over £100,000 for a Neighbourhood Development Order (NDO), which is a planning application owned by the Parish Council.
    • Formed an NDO team with representatives from the parish council, the community, the surgery, the school, the landowner and the developer
    • Commissioned the first round of technical surveys, which began on Monday 5th May, and included a measured site survey, a road access survey, ground water surveys etc.
    • Drafted the Neighbourhood Plan and development proposals to share with the community, and hear their views in an Initial Village Consultation from 20 November to 9 December 2020.

    What next?

    • Once the Neighbourhood Plan and NDO have been through formal consultation and passed examination by an independent inspector, there will be a referendum.

    It has taken us 7 years to get to this stage. We now have the resources we need, a team to deliver the project, and that we will succeed in achieving our vision for a sustainable thriving parish, with its two villages each with their own distinctive character with shared facilities and amenities.

    Giles Baxter OBE, Chair Neighbourhood Plan Committee gileshlbaxter@btinternet.com

    Our vision is for a single, thriving, sustainable parish formed of two distinct villages, each with its own particular identity and character, with shared facilities and amenities.