The Upper
Eden Neighbourhood Plan was approved at a local referendum on Thursday 7th
March 2013.
This is a big deal!
This is a big deal!
Being a
curmudgeonly old planning cynic I looked at the Localism Acts’ Neighbourhood
Planning proposals as no more than a nimby’s charter. An opportunity for the
vociferous minority, with too much time on their hands, to batten down the
local hatches and wrap the cloak of negative planning policy around themselves
- to the detriment of the local majority.
However, the
first Plan off the blocks has proved me wrong. This 28 page Development Plan is
well focussed, moderate, proportionate in its approach and a delightfully
balanced response to local needs in this deeply rural part of northern England.
Having been
personally involved with The Taylor Review (Living Working Countryside – DCLG
2008) I was also delighted to see that this excellent piece of guidance on
rural development initiatives is referenced in the document.
The Localism
Act 2011 gives communities the opportunity to prepare planning policies (a
Neighbourhood Plan) and have them adopted by the District Council as Statutory
Policy, provided they meet two basic criteria:
- That they fit within higher strategic policies
- That they are approved by a simple majority of the community in a local referendum
The Upper
Eden Community Plan Group (UECP) was originally chosen as a ‘Big Society’
Vanguard and the Neighbourhood Plan for the Upper Eden Area was an early
project.
In this case
the Referendum on the 7th March voted just over 90% in favour on a
34% turnout. Reasonably representative I would have thought.
The policy
themes in the Plan are:
- Housing that is affordable and suitable for local people in rural areas
- Housing on farms and for rural businesses
- Housing for the elderly
- Housing densities that are suitable for the area
- Helping to deliver Broadband Internet Access through planning policy
- Monitoring and managing development to prevent over-development
Of
particular interest in the definition of ‘Local’. There is always the risk of
ending up with the Royston Vasey style attitudes to localism, but in
this case the definition is reasonable and even allows for special pleadings to
the Parish if one doesn’t fall within the various criteria outlined (See
Below). This could be valuable in encouraging ‘outsider’ involvement where they
are developing employment opportunities of wider benefit to the local
community.
I
particularly like the flexible approach to the use of housing on farms and for
rural businesses - especially as the impending changes to Permitted Development
Rights will allow farm buildings to change for business use. The forward
thinking approach over Broadband provision within development is also a great
idea.
Eden is a
deeply rural area in a sensitive landscape and there was every chance that this
first Plan off the blocks would adopt a firmly negative stance. Nothing
could be further from the truth. A pragmatic and positive thinking attitude is
evident throughout the document and I applaud that wholeheartedly.
As I spend a
great deal of my life handling rural planning proposals the emergence of
Neighbourhood Plans is adding a further tier of policy consideration. However,
if they are all as sensible as this one then so much the better. Lets hope.
More than
500 communities are now making use of the new neighbourhood planning powers
that for the first time enable them to benefit from plans that have real
statutory weight in the planning system.
People in
Thame, Oxfordshire, will now vote on their neighbourhood plan after the
community’s draft plan passed independent inspection this week. The plan, which
is the first to set out specific sites for development, will now go to local
vote on 2 May 2013.
Click here
for the:
Upper Eden Neighbourhood Plan
