Ashdon Neighbourhood Plan comes into force
A planning document which will help to shape change and growth in Ashdon has been formally adopted by Uttlesford District Council.
The Ashdon Neighbourhood Plan was 'made' at a meeting of Council on 6 December. This means the plan will now become a statutory development document and will be taken into account when dealing with planning applications in the area.
The decision follows a successful referendum held in the parish on 20 October, which saw 184 residents vote in favour of the plan (88%) and 25 vote against it. The plan had already gone through a period of public consultation and undergone independent examination.
It becomes the seventh neighbourhood plan to be adopted in the district, following Great Dunmow, Thaxted, Felsted, Newport Quendon & Rickling, Stebbing, an Saffron Walden.
Meanwhile, a referendum was held in Great and Little Chesterford yesterday (8 December) to vote on a Neighbourhood Plan for the two parishes. Some 317 residents voted in favour of the plan (95.2%) and 16 against it. The plan will now be put before Uttlesford District Council for formal adoption.
Neighbourhood plans provide an opportunity for local communities to shape and influence the future development of their areas, to help realise their hopes and aspirations. They have to be broadly in accordance with national planning policy and the strategic policies in the Local Plan, but can identify, for example, particular areas for development or special protection, specify design and other considerations.
Uttlesford District Council is committed to supporting towns and villages through the neighbourhood planning process and put a strong focus on this work in its Corporate Plan 2022-26: www.uttlesford.gov.uk/corporate-plan. The council also has an agreement with the Rural Community Council of Essex to support communities interested in community-led planning.
For more information about neighbourhood plans, visit www.uttlesford.gov.uk/neighbourhood-plans.
9 December 2022