Latest news with #neighbourhoodplan
BBC News
23-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Sockbridge and Tirril Parish Council in Cumbria can make neighbourhood plan
A parish council has been granted the right to contribute to how its area is shaped through planning and Tirril Parish Council, near Penrith, Cumbria, now has the right to create its own neighbourhood plan after being designated a neighbourhood plans are designed to give residents more say on how their area develops and how land is used for housing, infrastructure and green and Furness Council cabinet member Peter Thornton said neighbourhood plans allow communities to "take control of elements of development" and urged other councils to consider applying for neighbourhood area status. "Residents know their communities better than anyone and can use these tools to be clear about how their place develops sustainably," he said. Neighbourhood plans form part of the Liberal Democrat-led local authority's wider development plan, which is a series of policies used to determine planning plans are created by the local community but cannot undermine the larger council's overarching and Tirril Parish Council applied for the status in a six-week consultation, Westmorland and Furness Council said it was satisfied the area was appropriate for neighbourhood status and granted the new powers. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
04-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Northamptons residents worry about 'voting blind' in referendum
Residents have raised concerns about "voting blind" in an upcoming referendum that could shape the future of their area's local in Northampton's on the Semilong and Trinity area have got the chance to cast a vote in whether they want West Northamptonshire Council to use their neighbourhood plan when assessing planning John Atkinson said he was worried people would not vote on the plan as "they have no idea what they are voting on".Neighbourhood plans are documents which set out the blueprint and decide how land should be used in the future - be it for housing, business use or green space. The plan has been under development since 2017, when it was first designated by the now-defunct Northampton Borough Council, which has been replaced by the West Northants unitary council, which Reform UK won control of last on the neighbourhood plan took place initially in 2020 and the council said it received feedback from 118 plan document said that by 2038 Semilong and Trinity "will be a distinctive, vibrant neighbourhood which is making a significant contribution to the prosperity and diversity of Northampton".It also delves into the delivery of new housing and says it will support applications where residential buildings "do not jeopardise the function of the area as a place of work, leisure and shopping". Feedback from the community also demonstrated a preference for starter homes and private housing and low support for additional rented houses of multiple occupation (HMOs). Mr Atkinson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he thought the plan looked great "but I'm guessing most people who got the polling card think 'what on earth's that?What's this plan? Bin it'. "My view is that each resident should have received a copy of the plan, to help them decide how to vote."However, a West Northamptonshire Council spokesperson said: "The Semilong and Trinity Neighbourhood Plan has been developed by Northampton Town Council and local community leaders over several years with public consultation throughout."We understand some residents were unaware of the plan. "While poll cards don't include the full document, information has been shared via websites, public consultations, and local venues."Farzana Aldridge, a newly elected Labour councillor to the Kingsley and Semilong ward, said she would hold meetings with residents to talk through the added: "Residents did contact me regarding the Neighbourhood Plan and expressed their concerns about their insufficient information." Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
