Issue - meetings

To agree to ‘make’ (adopt) the Alresford Neighbourhood Plan as part of the Council’s statutory development plan and for it to therefore become a material consideration in planning decisions alongside the Tendring District Local Plan.

RESOLVED that –

(a)   the result of the referendum held on Thursday 9^th September 2021 in the Parish of Alresford be noted;

(b)   the Alresford Neighbourhood Plan, as attached as Appendix 1 to item A.1 of the Report of the Leader of the Council, be formally ‘made’; and

(c)   the necessary publicity and notifications be administered in accordance with Regulation 20 of The Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012, as amended.

Earlier on in the meeting Councillor Scott had declared a Personal Interest in this matter insofar as he was both a Ward Member and a Parish Councillor for Alresford.

The Cabinet gave consideration to a report of the Leader of the Council (A.1) which sought its approval to ‘make’ (adopt) the Alresford Neighbourhood Plan as part of this Council’s statutory development plan and for it to therefore become a material consideration in planning decisions alongside the Tendring District Local Plan.

Members were aware that Alresford Parish Council had prepared a ‘Neighbourhood Plan’ for its area that had passed through all of the necessary stages of the plan-making process as set out in the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (as amended) including public consultation, independent examination and, finally, a local referendum.

It was reported that, if the majority of those who voted in a referendum were in favour of the Neighbourhood Plan, it must be ‘made’ (adopted) by the Local Planning Authority within 8 weeks of the referendum. An Order must be made by the local authority before it had effect. The Neighbourhood Plan document would then be made available on both the District Council’s and Parish Council’s websites, and stakeholders would be notified, in accordance with Regulation 20 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (as amended).

Cabinet was informed that, in an official referendum held on Thursday 9^th September 2021 which had been administered by Tendring District Council, residents of the Parish of Alresford had been asked: “Do you want Tendring District Council to use the Neighbourhood Plan for the Parish of Alresford to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?” With an overall turnout of 24.7%, 483 residents had voted ‘YES’ and 18 residents had voted ‘NO’ – a vote of 96.4% in favour of the plan.

Having considered the contents of the report, the result of the official referendum and in order to enable the Alresford Neighbourhood Plan to be formally made and adopted:-

It was moved by Councillor Stock OBE, moved by Councillor G V Guglielmi and:

RESOLVED that –

(a)   the result of the referendum held on Thursday 9^th September 2021 in the Parish of Alresford be noted;

(b)   the Alresford Neighbourhood Plan, as attached as Appendix 1 to item A.1 of the Report of the Leader of the Council, be formally ‘made’; and

(c)   the necessary publicity and notifications be administered in accordance with Regulation 20 of The Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012, as amended.