Submission

Neighbourhood Plan update: pre submission consultation

 

We received over 450 comments during the six week consultation period, which highlights the interest in development in the plan area.

 

A file of the comments, together with our considered responses, can be accessed through the Neighbourhood Plan section of the Seahouses Development Trust website http://www.seahouses.org/neighbourhood-plan/ . This page also links to the revised plan and the supporting and background information. The comments and responses form Appendix C to the Consultation Statement.

 

The revised plan has now been approved by the three parish councils and has been submitted to Northumberland County Council who will manage the next and final stage of the process. They will:

-        Carry out a further consultation process;

-        Appoint, with the parish councils, an independent examiner who will review and report on the plan;

-        Consider this report and discuss whether any changes need to be made;

-        Arrange a referendum to finally approve the plan;

If successful at a referendum the plan will then be adopted.

All these items have statutory time limits. It is likely that the referendum will be next Spring.

 

So there is some way to go but the draft plan will, on submission to NCC, carry significant weight in future planning decisions.

 

The majority of comments on the plan were positive but a number of important issues were raised and we have amended the plan accordingly. Details of the changes are shown in the file above, but in summary:

-        We have corrected some omissions on the policies map;

-        We have adjusted the settlement boundary to reduce the development area in North Sunderland;

-        We have clarified the meanings of major and small scale development;

-        A number of parties, including NCC, noted that our policy on car parking spaces for new developments was in conflict with national planning policy. We have had no choice but to change the policy. This is not as bad as it sounds as new developments should be for permanent housing. We have included a new policy for conversions to holiday homes to ensure the impact on amenity and parking is taken into account. 

 

Thank you for your interest in the development of the plan which now moves out of our hands to the final formal stage. It has taken a long time: we all underestimated the formality of the process. But it should have a long term beneficial impact on our area.

Consultation

The formal consultation period on the neighbourhood plan is now over. We received many comments, the vast majority supportive, particularly from residents in the area.

However, there were a number of comments making recommendation for changes. Most of these related to the settlement boundaries in Seahouses but others raised a number of important issues about plan policies.

We will collate all the responses and publish them here and then consider whether and how the plan should be changed. We will provide a response to each of the comments but this will take some time.

Thank you to everybody who contributed.

Pre submission consultation

We are now ready to start the formal pre-submission consultation on the neighbourhood plan. This is a statutory and formal process. The consultation lasts for six weeks starting with a drop in event at the Hub in Seahouses at 6pm on Tuesday 18^th July.

The formal notice of the consultation has the dates of the other drop in events:

The Parish Councils are required to publicise the Draft Plan and invite comments. Copies of the Plan will be available for public inspection for a period of not less than six weeks commencing at 6pm on 18 July 2017 and ending at 6pm on 29 August 2017.

 

The Plan and supporting documents will be on line at 6pm on 18 July on http://www.seahouses.org/neighbourhood-plan/

 

The Draft Plan will be available for inspection at The Hub, Seahouses Development Trust, Stone Close, Seahouses, Northumberland NE68 7YL on Monday to Thursday between 10.00am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 4pm.

 

The Draft Plan will also be available at drop in sessions where there will also be background information about the plan:

The Hub, Tuesday 18 July, 6pm to 8pm; Seahouses Methodist Church, Wednesday 19 July, 10am to 12am; Beadnell WI, Wednesday 19 July, 1pm to 3pm; and Bamburgh Pavilion, Thursday 20 July, 10am to 12 am.

 

Any person, business or organisation may comment on the Plan.

 

Representations may be made by email or by post to the above addresses at the top of this notice.

 

All representations must be received by the Parish Councils no later than 6pm on 29 August 2017. All representations will be publicly available and will be considered by the Parish Councils in producing the final Plan which will then be submitted to Northumberland County Council as local planning authority for Independent Examination.

 

The introduction to the draft plan is as follows:

“This area is special because of the natural beauty and isolation of the landscape combined with our cultural history. But over the last few years it has been damaged by unsuitable development that in many cases has been in conflict with, rather than responding to, these characteristics. It is crucial that further development does not do further damage. These characteristics drive the economy of the area as well as deserving protection in their own right. 

 

 

The area also faces the problems resulting from the success of the visitor economy: house prices are high and many jobs are seasonal.

 

 

These factors are why the three parish councils of North Sunderland, Bamburgh and Beadnell have come together to develop this draft neighbourhood plan. Although Northumberland County Council’s emerging local plan does provide some guidance for this area, we believe that we should set out specific planning policies and aspirations. Things don’t stand still: further development will come to the area, and it is important for the economy and the residents that it does so. But it is also important that development matches the aspirations of those of us who live here.

 

 

The area faces some contentious current and potential planning applications. This plan is of necessity neutral on individual applications but sets out principles of good design which respect the neighbourhood. They will not have planning weight unless the plan is adopted but we hope future applications take the principles into account.

 

 

This draft plan has been based on consultation with residents, businesses and other stakeholders. This is your chance to contribute to and comment on a complete draft. I hope you take advantage of this opportunity – and note that comments in support of any aspects are just as important as suggested changes.”

Draft plan consultation

We have now received the environmental assessments that had to be carried out on the draft plan. They were positive and recommended no material changes to the plan or the draft policies.

This means we can now move to the formal consultation on the draft plan. This is as originally planned (see post below) and will be a six week consultation starting in mid July with drop in events in each of the three villages. We will also be writing to formal consultees and to the local organisations we previously contacted.

We are currently finalising dates and locations for the drop in sessions which will be publicised here, in local papers and by leaflet.