BACKGROUND
The Linton Parish Council produced a Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) in 2021 for Bromsash, Gorsley and Linton, following local consultation.
The parish had already exceeded the then 14% growth in housing target set by the Herefordshire Council core planning strategy (2011 – 2031). Under the “Rural Settlement Hierarchy” criteria contained within the updated Herefordshire Council Plan until 2041 further development in the parish would be strictly limited, but this was then changed following the General Election and revised national government direction on planning and development under the National Planning Policy Framework .
The NDP does nonetheless still help guide development and land-use within the parish and is used to represent the interests and opinions of the community when the Parish Council considers new planning applications.
What is a neighbourhood Development Plan?
The NDP is a locally-prepared planning document to guide decisions on land use and development within our parish.
The NDP consider key land use planning topics, such as:
- housing
- landscape, environment and heritage
- local economy
- community facilities
- roads and infrastructure.
It is important to note that an NDP cannot be used to prevent development, but it adds more detail such as where and what sort of developments are permitted and what they should look like, based on what the community has decided it wants.
The approved NDP is an official planning document that has to be taken into account by Local Authority Planners and Planning Inspectors when they are making decisions on planning applications and appeals in our parish.
Who was involved in it’s preparation?
The production of the NDP was managed by a Steering Group made up of Parish Councillors and local residents, with representation from across the parishes, under the guidance of the Parish Council. The NDP was only accepted after it demonstrated the involvement of the local community throughout the preparation and decision making process.