Newsletter #1

Vision4 Chesil Newsletter No1

NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN PROJECT

What is this project about?

The Chesil Parish Plan was produced in 2010 and rather than update this, the Parish Council agreed in late  2018 to produce instead a consolidated Neighbourhood Plan, managed as a project, sponsored by the Parish Council,  which would be created through consultation with the communities in the four villages that make up the parish, 

The project is called:  Vision4Chesil

Timescales for the Project:

The project formally started on the 1st April and will take around two years to complete.  The published plan is expected to last ten years from acceptance by the community and Parish Council, and will be reviewed regularly to ensure it is still relevant and appropriate for the Parish.

What is a Neighbourhood Plan?

A Neighbourhood Plan is a planning document which will guide the future development of the area, focusing on the use and development of land and housing, but also taking account of the associated local social, economic and environmental issues. It should be noted that it is a legal document and once established the Local Planning Authority is obliged to refer to it.

What areas might the Neighbourhood Plan cover ?

  • A general description of the area, its key features  and household data
  • The development of housing, including preferred priorities for affordable housing, or bringing vacant or derelict housing back into use,  and the built environment
  • Economic development and provision for businesses to set up, or expand to create employment opportunities, new products or services
  • Proposals for improved transport and access, including identifying issues around road usage, cycling, public transport.
  • The development of schools, education,  health and well-being facilities,  community and youth centres and village halls.
  • Utilities and amenities, including open spaces, nature reserves, play areas, parks and gardens and other infrastructure

Who is involved in developing and agreeing the plan?

  • The Chesil Bank Parish Council
  • A  Steering Group, made up of community volunteers and four parish councillors, one from each village
  • Community Groups from each of the four villages
  • Other relevant organisations., e.g. the CPRE, AONB etc.
  • The newly established Dorset Council
  • An independent reviewing organisation
  • The Department of Housing, Communities and Local Government [DHCLG]

How we are developing the Neighbourhood Plan;

  • A commitment to continuous engagement of the community
  • To undertake surveys to get more detail on what should be included in the plan and to identify key priorities
  • Analysis and presentation of the findings from the surveys for inclusion in the plan and other research
  • Developing an outline plan, which will require independent professional evaluation to create a more formal plan
  • Once finalised, the Neighbourhood Plan will be presented back to the community for adoption, and if accepted, the plan becomes a legal document.

Progress so far:

  • The Parish Council has agreed which four councillors will represent each village, please see contact details overleaf.
  • A project steering group has been created from community volunteers from each village, chaired by a representative from Langton Herring, please see contact details overleaf .
  • The Parish Council has agreed to fund an upgraded web-site to help with communications, although paper forms and newsletters etc will be also be available where members of the community prefer this as a way of contributing to developing the plan.
  • The Steering Group is meeting regularly to discuss how community engagement will be undertaken, and it is the intention to produce a newsletter at least every two months describing progress with producing the plan.
  • An outline project plan has been drafted and will be presented to the Parish Council in May.
  • The Steering Group has also drafted an outline of the questions to be asked when individual village surveys are undertaken
  • The Steering Group has been exploring ways to apply for funding to produce the plan, and central government grants will be available in due course to help with this.

What’s Next: May and June

  • Starting  the community engagement process, including developing ideas for  workshops, presentations, setting up village Neighbourhood Planning Groups etc
  • Presenting the project plan for delivering the Neighbourhood Plan to the Parish Council
  • Reviewing other existing Dorset Neighbourhood Plans to see what can be learnt from their experiences
  • Setting up dedicated website, Facebook and email facilities.
  • Setting out the major themes to be included in the first village surveys; ideally, undertaking at least one survey   

Where and how to get more information:

  • Parish Council Meeting notes and the website
  • Your local Parish Councillors
  • Your local Parish Councillor on the Steering Group
  • Your Village Representative on the Steering Group
  • Via the internet at  https://neighbourhoodplanning.org

Soon  –  A summary in the Chesil Parish Magazine

Soon – Regular Newsletters

Soon – Via e-mail – please register your interest for receiving updates by letting your village representatives know your email contact information.

Soon – your village community group

Local contact details:

Abbotsbury:  Peter Begley:peter.begley@vision4chesil.org

Fleet: Saira Sawtell:saira.sawtell@vision4chesil.org

Langton Herring: Derek Troughton: derek.troughton@vision4chesil.org

Portesham: Stewart Bayram: stewart.bayram@vision4chesil.org

Members of the Steering Group:

Derek Troughton- Chair

Peter Begley-Vice Chair

Ray Doggett

Graham Whitby

Karen Kennedy

Saira Sawtell

Dave Stevens

Stewart Bayram

Ruth Chipp-Marshall

John Coombe

Fredrica Teale

Martin Pearson

Michele Harding- Clerk