Norton-Juxta-Kempsey Parish Neighbourhood Plan 2020-2030
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Norton-juxta-Kempsey Parish Neighbourhood Plan 2020-2030 0 Consultation Statement March 2021 Consultation Statement, March 2021 Norton-juxta-Kempsey Neighbourhood Plan This page has been left intentionally blank 1 Consultation Statement, March 2021 Norton-juxta-Kempsey Neighbourhood Plan Contents 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 3 2. The Parish Council and Steering Group .......................................................................................... 3 3. Aims of the Consultation................................................................................................................. 4 4. The stages of Consultation .............................................................................................................. 5 Residents’ Questionnaire .................................................................................................................... 5 Business Questionnaire ....................................................................................................................... 8 Norton-juxta-Kempsey Neighbourhood Plan Website ........................................................................ 9 Local Green Space Landowner Consultation ..................................................................................... 10 Public Event 21st and 22nd February 2020 ....................................................................................... 11 Regulation 14 Consultation ............................................................................................................... 13 5. Appendices .................................................................................................................................... 17 Appendix 1 Survey Results................................................................................................................. 17 Appendix 2 Formal Notification and Poster ..................................................................................... 42 These two documents were displayed on all Parish Council notice boards ..................................... 43 Appendix 3 List of statutory Consultees Consulted ........................................................................... 44 Appendix 4 Front cover of Summary Booklet delivered to all households ........................................ 46 Appendix 5 Article in Local Magazine ............................................................................................... 47 Appendix 6 Responses to Regulation 14 Consultation ...................................................................... 49 2 Consultation Statement, March 2021 Norton-juxta-Kempsey Neighbourhood Plan 1. Introduction 1.1. This statement has been prepared by Norton-juxta-Kempsey Parish Council (“the Parish Council”) to accompany its submission to the local planning authority, Wychavon District Council, of the Norton-juxta-Kempsey Parish Neighbourhood Plan (“the Neighbourhood Plan”) under Regulation 15 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (“the Regulations”). 1.2. The Neighbourhood Plan has been prepared by the Parish Council, a qualifying body, for the Neighbourhood Area covering the whole of the Parish of Norton-juxta-Kempsey, as designated by Wychavon District Council on 11 January 2017. 1.3. Under Regulation 15(2) of the Regulations, “consultation statement” means a document which: • contains details of the persons and bodies who were consulted about the proposed neighbourhood development plan; • explains how they were consulted; • summarises the main issues and concerns raised by the persons consulted; and • describes how these issues and concerns have been considered and, where relevant, addressed in the proposed neighbourhood development plan. 1.4. This document is intended to provide a record of the consultations which have taken place during the preparatory stages of the Neighbourhood Plan, as well as an account of how the main issues and concerns emerging from these consultations have been considered and addressed. 2. The Parish Council and Steering Group 2.1. Norton-juxta-Kempsey Parish Council is the ‘qualifying body’ responsible for preparing and submitting the Neighbourhood Plan. 2.2. Initially the Parish Council approached those that had been involved in developing the Parish Plan to commence working on the Neighbourhood Plan. Some of this group volunteered to assist with the early stages of identifying key issues and devising a questionnaire, but there has been a core group of four residents (including parish councillors) that form the Steering Group that committed to delivering this Neighbourhood Plan. Throughout the Plan making process several other members of the community have engaged in and input into the Plan for limited periods of time dependent on their area of interest and range of commitments. 2.3. Members of the Steering Group came from a range of backgrounds and had a wealth of experience to input into the process; all members of the Steering group were male. 2.4. From December 2018 all meetings were facilitated and attended by Planning Consultants, Brodie Planning Associates (BPA) who were appointed by the Parish Council to provide professional independent planning advice and to assist with the Plan making process. 3 Consultation Statement, March 2021 Norton-juxta-Kempsey Neighbourhood Plan 2.5. The Steering Group were directly involved in drafting the residents’ and business questionnaire and analysing its results; researching and undertaking assessments to inform the Green Space Background Papers, drawing relevant conclusions; reviewing and editing the body of the Background Papers and Plan; and developing policies under the guidance of Brodie Planning Associates. 2.6. Meetings were held on a regular basis during the process and the Parish Council was kept up to-date with the process with frequent updates provided by members of the group at Parish Council meetings. At various stages throughout the process local residents were updated quarterly through the parish newsletter and as the Plan progressed and documentation could be shared through a webpage on the Parish Council website and also through updates placed on the Parish Council’s social media page. After each meeting the minutes and relevant documentation were circulated to the Steering Group. All material produced by BPA on behalf of the Steering Group was reviewed and where necessary edited by the Steering Group at meetings and shared with the Parish Council for sign off ahead of publishing. 3. Aims of the Consultation 3.1. The aim of the Norton-juxta-Kempsey Parish Neighbourhood Plan consultation process was to involve as many people in the community as possible throughout the consultation stages of the Plan. It was critical that the Plan was informed by the views of local people from the start of the process. 3.2. From the outset the Steering Group engaged with as wide a range of people as possible, using a variety of approaches and communication and consultation techniques. This included: public meetings; residents’ questionnaire; local business questionnaire; liaison with the school; an open weekend at the Parish Hall and St Peters Garden Centre to review shortlisted local green spaces and the overall vision and objectives for the Plan; leaflets were delivered to every single household in the parish to promote the events and awareness of the Neighbourhood Plan along with posters and sandwich boards placed throughout the parish; updates were also published in the quarterly parish newsletter, on the parish council website and through social media. The group devised a detailed consultation strategy to ensure that the community were kept updated and could be involved in the process where possible. 3.3. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 it was decided that the best way to reach out to the community for the Regulation 14 consultation was to produce a summary booklet of the Plan including the draft policies with a tear out response form; this was in place of a drop in event to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. A booklet was delivered to every household in the parish and gave people the opportunity to read a summary version of the Plan, respond if they wish and either request to view a hard copy of the full Plan or view all the documentation on the Neighbourhood Plan page of the Parish Council website. Stakeholders and other interested parties were emailed links to the documentation on the website; and where email addresses were unknown they were sent letters. 4 Consultation Statement, March 2021 Norton-juxta-Kempsey Neighbourhood Plan 4. The stages of Consultation 4.1. In autumn 2016 the Parish Council initiated the Neighbourhood Plan process; this was in response to the adoption of the SWDP (February 2016), which identifies several strategic locations for housing, employment and infrastructure growth in and immediately adjacent to the parish. There was concern in the local community about the effect such large scale development would have on the parish and therefore there was an appetite for the local community to have more influence over the future development of the parish and to preserve the individual identity of each if its settlements. 4.2. The Parish Council established a small Steering Group which comprised councillors and local residents; people that had previously been involved in developing the Parish Plan and had shown an active interest in community