Welcome to our Sandleheath Neighbourhood Plan Blog post, the first of many as we look to keep residents informed and updated on this important village initiative. We understand many will not be familiar with a Neighbourhood Plan so hopefully these simple Q&A’s will help?
· What is a Neighbourhood Plan? It is an important planning document that, once agreed, forms part of an overall development plan and sits alongside the Local Plan prepared by the local planning authority, in our case New Forest District Council (NFDC). Decisions on local planning applications will be made using both the local plan and the neighbourhood plan, and any other material considerations.
· Why a Neighbourhood Plan for Sandleheath? These plans were introduced as part of the previous Government’s ‘localism’ agenda; giving local people the chance to shape the locality they live in. The Governments own published guidance states that Neighbourhood Plans “give communities direct power to develop a shared vision for their neighbourhood and shape the development and growth of their local area. They are able to choose where they want new homes, shops and offices to be built, have their say on what those new buildings should look like and what infrastructure should be provided, and grant planning permission for the new buildings they want to see go ahead. Neighbourhood planning provides a powerful set of tools for local people to plan for the types of development to meet their community’s needs and where the ambition of the neighbourhood is aligned with the strategic needs and priorities of the wider local area”.
· Who is producing our Neighbourhood Plan? Sandleheath Parish Council is the ‘qualifying body’ that is leading the plan. The Plan covers the entire parish boundary of Sandleheath and all who live and work there. A Steering Group has been created to manage this process consisting of Parish Councillors and Clerk and local resident volunteers. The Parish Council have secured a financial grant to engage specialist planning consultants (ONH) to advise it on all technical content and process matters. However, it is the views of Sandleheath residents who are most important in producing and agreeing the plan. Your participation is vital.
· What happens next? Over the coming months evidence will be gathered to help develop the 11 key policies covered by the Plan (see website for details). Residents will also be invited to complete surveys, attend drop-in meetings and follow this website, etc in order to fully engage in Plan production. Draft plans will then be submitted to NFDC and an Independent Examiner to ensure the Plan is compliant with relevant legislation, local planning strategy and meets all ‘basic conditions’ required of such plans. Once deemed as compliant NFDC will organise a formal Referendum inviting Sandleheath residents (those who are eligible to vote at local elections) to simply vote Yes or No to adopt the Plan or not.
We are pleased to say the above process is now underway. As a first step, all households in the village have recently been sent a Housing Needs Questionnaire plus a ‘call for sites’ letter to local landowners. Please do complete these and return them as requested.
Do also note in your diary the date of our first Neighbourhood Plan Public drop-in and Information Session at the Village Hall on Monday 16th December. Further details to follow.
Finally, many thanks for reading this Blog and look out for more to follow, your participation is very important. If you have any questions or comments on matters raised above, please email them to clerk@sandleheathparish.co.uk
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