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Tewkesbury Civic SocietyProtecting Tewkesbury's Architectural Heritage and ensuring today's developments add positively to it.
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Policies
Tewkesbury Town Neighbourhood DEVELOPMENT Plan
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Neighbourhood Planning was first introduced in the Localism Act 2011 and Tewkesbury Borough Council has a duty to support communities in making their Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP).
A growing number of parish/town councils, including Tewkesbury Town Council, in the borough have registered their intention to take up the challenge of preparing a NDP. The Borough offers some grant support towards the costs and once a NDP has been “made” it entitles the Parish/Town Council to being able to determine the use of a larger share of any relevant monies paid by developers (Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)). A NDP should support the strategic development needs set out in the JCS and Borough Plan. However, it offers the opportunity to go into finer detail, for instance perhaps defining the style and materials to be ideally used in developments, if not the numbers! |
Where a NDP is ‘made’ within Tewkesbury Borough the provisions of that plan will supersede the policies and proposals of the Tewkesbury Borough Plan insofar as they are relevant to the development being proposed.
However, NDPs do require considerable human resources and significant financial support and it becomes a matter of enthusiasm and judgement as to whether to invest these or not. In many instances where NDPs have progressed there is a “threat” that inspires the effort.
Seven Parishes have completed the process, Winchcombe being the first, their NDP can be seen here.
Twyning is the closest example, click on the image to see their NDP detail:
However, NDPs do require considerable human resources and significant financial support and it becomes a matter of enthusiasm and judgement as to whether to invest these or not. In many instances where NDPs have progressed there is a “threat” that inspires the effort.
Seven Parishes have completed the process, Winchcombe being the first, their NDP can be seen here.
Twyning is the closest example, click on the image to see their NDP detail:
Tewkesbury Town Council, the logical driver of such an initiative, has started the process a while ago but without the motivation of a generally recognised “threat” so perhaps that is why progress has not been made.
However, this is an opportunity missed. Here in Tewkesbury it might be sensible to have some better focus on things like public transport, child facilities, pensioner facilities, retail future, parking, pedestrian priority, social/affordable housing, demographic accommodation mix, de-cluttering, alley and walks improvements etc. etc.
Many, possibly all, of these matters could be addressed through a Parish Plan which is less resource hungry and prescriptive so might be the way forward for the Town Council?
Tewkesbury Borough initiated and partnered a local community effort resulting in a Tewkesbury Town MasterPlan that substitutes in part for the missing Neighbourhood NDP!
That MasterPlan has been updated recently and adopted as a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) which better ensures that any developments proposed within town conform to the objectives of the Plan.
However, the SPD lacks a lot of detail in matters it does cover and a whole raft of matters (see above) are not covered so opportunities are being missed.
More information about Neighbourhood Planning can be found on the TBC website, here.
The Government is still encouraging ground up local democratic involvement whilst at the same time decrying “nimbyism” so we’ll just have to wait and see how the new Planning ideas, if implemented, affect such things as Neighbourhood Planning.
However, this is an opportunity missed. Here in Tewkesbury it might be sensible to have some better focus on things like public transport, child facilities, pensioner facilities, retail future, parking, pedestrian priority, social/affordable housing, demographic accommodation mix, de-cluttering, alley and walks improvements etc. etc.
Many, possibly all, of these matters could be addressed through a Parish Plan which is less resource hungry and prescriptive so might be the way forward for the Town Council?
Tewkesbury Borough initiated and partnered a local community effort resulting in a Tewkesbury Town MasterPlan that substitutes in part for the missing Neighbourhood NDP!
That MasterPlan has been updated recently and adopted as a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) which better ensures that any developments proposed within town conform to the objectives of the Plan.
However, the SPD lacks a lot of detail in matters it does cover and a whole raft of matters (see above) are not covered so opportunities are being missed.
More information about Neighbourhood Planning can be found on the TBC website, here.
The Government is still encouraging ground up local democratic involvement whilst at the same time decrying “nimbyism” so we’ll just have to wait and see how the new Planning ideas, if implemented, affect such things as Neighbourhood Planning.
