​What is a Neighbourhood Plan?
It is a document describing the desired plans for a village or villages over a 5-10 year period and contains the areas the majority of residents feel are important. It covers topics such as housing and development, schooling and amenities, environmental protection, transport and highways. The document requires considerable consultation with everyone in the parish, and significant local input to bring it all together. Once the parish has agreed on its content, Lichfield District Council must approve it and it will need to be considered by an independent examiner. Once adopted it will be used by the planning department in the determination of future planning applications. It is not a way to get development through and pass unwanted schemes in the parish without consultation. Equally, it cannot stop development that is already planned by Lichfield District Council.
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What has been done to date?
The Parish of Mavesyn Ridware was designated as a neighbourhood area on 16th December 2019. This allows for a Neighbourhood Plan to be produced.
A Questionnaire was sent out to every household in the Parish in 2021. The responses to this questionnaire have been analysed and published. This has helped to identify some of the key issues and themes that could inform a Neighbourhood Plan for Mavesyn Ridware Parish.
A number of events have been organised to share the responses to the questionnaire with parishioners and to explain more about the Neighbourhood Plan process. These events will take place in the village hall on:
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Tuesday 5th April
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Sunday 10th April
Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group
Due to the work involved in producing a Neighbourhood Plan and the need for the Neighbourhood Plan to reflect local views and aspirations, members of the local community are needed to assist with this process. Day to day tasks such as organising consultation events, information gathering, editing drafts and producing the final plan will be delegated to this committee. The Steering Group is an advisory committee therefore can only advise, and not make decisions; The Parish Council still has responsibility for the plan and all final decisions made. The Steering Group will be responsible for ensuring links between the Parish Council, the community and other professionals involved are maintained. The relationship between any group and the Parish Council must be transparent to the wider public, publishing meeting agendas, minutes and publishing relevant documents.
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Want to become a Steering Group Member?
To work effectively membership should be between 10 and 15 and ideally reflect the character and diversity of the local parish population, with people from different places in the area and different sections of the community. All members of the Steering Group need to be aware that they are there to represent the community and should follow the Nolan Principles which are: selflessness; integrity; objectivity; accountability; honesty; openness; and leadership. The decisions made by the Steering Group should be taken solely in terms of the public interest, and it is important that personal factors do not affect decisions. If it is found that members of the steering group have acted inappropriately it could jeopardise the whole neighbourhood plan.
Relevant skills and experience that may be useful to the steering group include:
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Project management;
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Familiarity with the planning system;
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Community engagement;
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Marketing, promotion and consultation;
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Writing, editorial, graphic design;
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Expertise in specific topic areas, e.g. housing, transport, the historic environment.
To apply to become a Steering Group member please complete the application form by Monday 25th April.
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Timescales
The Neighbourhood Plan is likely to take the Steering Group around 12-18 months to put together. The final draft Neighbourhood Plan will then need to be scrutinised by an independent examiner and a referendum undertaken to determine whether the Plan has local support and can proceed to adoption.
Further Information
If you would like to know more about what a Neighbourhood Plan is, you can find out more through the locality quick guide to Neighbourhood Plans:
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To read the Government guidance: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/neighbourhood-planning--2