Neighbourhood Plan for Upottery parish

Neighbourhood Plan Update

As mentioned in the December Pump, the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group will be holding a consultation event dealing specifically with future Housing Development in Upottery Parish at the Manor Rooms on the 6^th February (10am until 12 noon and then 6pm until 8pm – please be aware that the evening session coincides with the meeting on Broadband to be chaired by Neil Parish and will therefore undoubtedly be busy!), 7^th February (12noon until 4pm) and 8^th February (11.00am until 4pm). The event aims to give you as much information (in the form of maps and guidance notes) as possible to allow you to express your views and opinions in an informed manner.

Just as a quick reminder, the Population and Housing question in the July questionnaire showed that the majority of parishioners (who responded) supported further housing development. There were 54% who would like to see a similar amount to the previous 15 years, which was 26 new dwellings and 17% who would be happy to see more than that. The majority also expressed a preference to build those new dwellings within the current or an extended Upottery village development boundary.

The event on the 6^th, 7^th and 8^th February will explain what and where the current Upottery village development boundary is and how it might be changed to allow for new development. There will be an opportunity for those that come along to suggest where they would prefer (or not) to see development occur. This is your opportunity to influence how Upottery Parish will look over the next 15 years.

Information on all the other Neighbourhood Plan topics will also be on display. If you live, work or play in Upottery Parish, please come along and have your say!

In June 2014, Upottery Parish Council formed a Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group to create a Neighbourhood Plan for the parish to be published in 2015. The members of the Steering Group are:

Chris Hunt (Chairman) Kerry Kennell (Secretary) James Smart, John Cornish, Tim Kellow, Jim Rogan, Louis Hawkins, Lucy Ryder, Mike Hensman, Alex Stevens, Graham Long.

To understand what is most important to local people and what the Neighbourhood Plan should focus upon, everybody in the parish was invited to complete a Neighbourhood Plan Questionnaire during August 2014.

Documents concerning Upottery's Neighbourhood Plan, including the Neighbourhood Questionnaire are available to view at:

Upottery Neighbourhood Planning Documents

What is Neighbourhood Planning?

The Department for Communities and Local Government has made £10.5million available to provide support and grants to help hundreds of areas across the country create neighbourhood plans.

The Localism Act 2011 introduced statutory Neighbourhood Planning in England. It enables communities to draw up a Neighbourhood Plan for their area and is intended to give communities more of a say in the development of their local area (within certain limits and parameters).

“These plans will be used to decide the future of the place where you live and work”

A Neighbourhood Plan is a community-led framework for guiding the future development and growth of an area. It may contain a vision, aims, planning policies, proposals for improving the area or providing new facilities, or allocation of key sites for specific kinds of development.

Neighbourhood plans relate to the use and development of land and associated social, economic and environmental issues. It may deal with a wide range of issues (like housing, employment, heritage and transport) or it may focus on one or two issues that are of particular importance in a local area.

A Neighbourhood Plan will be subject to examination and referendum and then form part of the Local Development Plan. This statutory status gives Neighbourhood Plans far more weight than parish plans, community plans and village design statements – see more at http://mycommunityrights.org.uk

Upottery Parish has been designated as a Neighbourhood Area and is now creating a Neighbourhood Plan. Events were held in June 2014 to gain initial feedback on the idea and everyone in the parish will also be receieve a survey form through their door in due course.

Please use your voice and have your say

If you would like to be part of the Neighbourhood Planning Team please email Kerry Kennell, the Parish Clerk at upotteryclerk@yahoo.co.uk

Upottery Parish Council submitted an application to East Devon District Council to designate Upottery Parish as a Neighbourhood Area in March 2014. Neighbourhood Areas and Plans are a new part of the planning system designed to give local communities the opportunity to get involved in deciding where development (if any) in their area should go.

The notice below was posted around the parish to enable residents to make comments on this proposal to the Local Planning Authority for the area (East Devon District Council).

Further information on Neighbourhood Areas and Neighbourhood Plans can be found on the EDDC website