News
Making progress - plan submitted
22nd Dec 2016
It is with a great deal of pride that I am able to report that we have, on 22 December 2016, scaled another rung of the Neighbourhood Plan Regulation ladder, this time Reg.15.
- Back in the first quarter of 2015 when we started out, we climbed up Regulations 5, 6 and 7 rungs, all to do with being allowed to start the NP process covering the whole parish.
- In September to November this year we managed to pass the Reg. 14 rung on the ladder (none of the Regs. in between was relevant to us).
- We have now gone on to the Reg. 15 rung, which is when we have looked at all the comments we received, and there were lots of them, mostly I am pleased to say positive, taken them on board and revised the draft Plan where we felt it was needed. We now pass the draft over to Rother District Council, our local planning authority.
- They will have to check that what we have set out is in compliance with the law and they will also invite everyone to comment again on our revisions. That is called Reg. 16.
- Then Rother will appoint an independent inspector, for him or her to take a critical look at the Plan and to make suggestions - this is Reg.17.
- Reg. 18 is when Rother publish their own comments and those of the Inspector - who may approve in its entirety, suggest amendments or indicate that the Plan should not proceed to a referendum. Rother will discuss their report with the Parish Council to seek consensus on the way forward. There are usually suggestions that are made which can be incorporated in the Plan.
- Reg. 19 requires Rother to publish its decision.
- We then have to move to another set of Regs. for the referendum, which is where you vote to approve, or not, what is in the Plan.
- Then eventually to Reg. 20 when the result of the referendum is known - Rother will have to publish the approved Plan which will then form part of planning policy guidance for the parish.
That will be it - and we hope that we shall be able to get there in the second quarter of 2017. Your continued involvement and support will be vital, both in commenting on the Reg.16 Plan (we shall tell you when this is going to happen), and of course in the Referendum, when we would like as large a turnout as possible.
Stephen Hardy
Chair
NP Steering Group