Q&A NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN PUBLIC MEETING 24.06.24 43 attended
- Where is your funding coming from?
- The PC obtained a grant from an organisation called Locality. We don’t know what the new gov (after the July 2024 election) will say about such grants. The costs of running the referendum at the end of the process are covered by the DC. The PC set aside several thousand pounds at the start of this process to go towards our costs
- If you get this NP to match the new Local Plan, will it nonetheless have to be reviewed against any subsequent Local Plan?
- Yes, it will have to be reviewed
- How concerned are you that a change in national government will scupper everything you are doing?
- We can’t predict what will happen. We asked WODC, who said they didn’t know. Labour say they will shake up the planning system if they get in, and they have set ambitious housing targets
- What is being done with the written NP for people who don’t use computers, or who have learning difficulties?
- We put everything on the website, we have put printed copies of our survey responses and our other documents in the Library. We hope that having an exhibition here in the VH as our next village consultation, with our team on hand to talk through what we put up on the panels, will help get key points across to anyone who attends.
- Do we know how WODC will use this plan when deciding future planning applications?
- WODC will be required to take cognisance of the NP when deciding planning applications. This is a legal requirement. When the NP has been adopted it becomes part of the “Development Plan” to which WODC must have regard. It must be compliant with local and national policy. Example: If there is an application for development on a green space that we seek to protect in our NP, we would hope that the Inspector would have regard to our NP. We also hope the PC will refer to it when they are consulted on planning issues. [SW, one of the PC representatives confirmed that this would indeed be the case][We are developing a flow chart for the PC to use when considering planning applications]
- There is clearly a huge amount of work going into this – and we’d like to thank you (clapping)
- Is there any value in identifying specific Rural Exception Sites for the Stonesfield Community Trust?
- It’s unlikely we would write an RES into the Plan; but we are in discussion with housing providers, Cottsway Housing etc to see what sites might become available.
- Does it need to be a bit more positive than that – eg say in the Plan where residents would be happy to have one?
- We accept that point
- Is there a limit on the number of affordable houses that could be built on an RES?
- No specific number. But a “major development” is anything over 10 houses, so one would infer that an RES would be for a development of under 10 houses. We have had two RESs built in last 10 years: Combe Road, Ridings, each of 8 houses.
- The PC doesn’t have long to review the Plan, according to your time line
- PC is reviewing as it goes along. PC is very grateful for this Plan – we will use it as a blueprint when we are deciding planning applications
- Final referendum – if people say “No”, what happens?
- If a majority rejects it, it is rejected
- Shouldn’t there be two qs in the referendum: 1. Have you read it? 2. Do you accept it, Yes or No?
- This is in the hands of WODC. Charlbury only got a 20% turn out for their referendum, and got a simple majority.
- Will the public consultation allow any issues that people have with the Plan to emerge in good time – and will you take heed?
- Yes, exactly, we will use the feedback from that to amend our NP as necessary. Also, WODC and then the Inspector will give us opportunities to revise it if they (and then he) think we should.