Bovey Parish Neighbourhood Plan.

Bovey Parish Neighbourhood Plan

Pre Submission Consultation

To read or download a copy of the documents supporting the consultation, please find links below:

• Bovey Parish Neighbourhood Plan (Pre Submission version) - Click here to view 
• Bovey parish Neighbourhood Plan Appendices - Click here to view
• Habitat Regulation Assessment of the Pre Submission Bovey Parish Neighbourhood Plan - Click here to view 
• Strategic Environmental Assessment Screening Report of the Pre Submission Bovey Parish Neighbourhood Plan - Click here to view 
• Summarised feedback from Consultant and Local Planning Authority on Pre Submission Bovey Parish Neighbourhood Plan - Click here to view
• Community Questionnaire report - Click here to view
• Bovey Tracey Parking Audit - Click here to view

 

How does it work?

What is a neighbourhood plan?

A neighbourhood plan is a locally produced statutory planning document that sets out policies for the development and conservation of the area it relates to. More details about neighbourhood plans are at www.gov.uk/guidance/neighbourhood-planning--2.

Why should we have a neighbourhood plan?

Planning policy for Bovey Parish is currently set by Teignbridge District Council (TDC) in its 2013-2033 Local Plan. Although planning applications in the parish are seen by Bovey Tracey Town Council, any comments it has about these have no statutory force in deciding planning applications or appeals. A neighbourhood plan, however, gives legal force in planning matters to the wishes of local communities. Also, and importantly, when complete, a neighbourhood plan increases the town council share of the Community Infrastructure Levy money paid to TDC on local housing developments from 15% to 25%.
A neighbourhood plan must comply with European (at present), national and local legislation. Please note that it cannot promote less development, such as housing, than identified in the Local Plan. It can, however, specify policies on how new development show look and where it should be located.

What has been done so far

The Localism Act of 2011 provides a mechanism whereby local communities can have a say in local planning issues by having in place a neighbourhood development plan (NDP). The Town Council decided to work on an NDP in March 2017 and set up a group of five councillors to do the initial work. The main item on their agenda was application to Teignbridge District Council (TDC) and Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) for the Parish to be designated as a Neighbourhood Area. The designated Neighbourhood Area comprises Bovey Tracey, Brimley, Heathfield and outlying rural districts.

In December 2017 a Steering Group (SG) comprising 5 town councillors and 7 members of the Parish community held their first meeting and agreed the first step should be to ask local people and businesses what they wanted for the future Parish by conducting a community questionnaire. Most of you will remember completing a questionnaire in March 2018.

The completed questionnaires were independently analysed by Devon Communities Together and the report has been available online on the Town Council (TC) website since May 2018. Five Working Groups (WG) were set up to work on Objectives based on the report findings, plus a sixth WG to work on a Vision for the future of the Parish. These groups were called Housing, Land and Environment, Traffic, Community Services and Facilities, Business and Employment and Vision. The WGs typically comprised at least one member of the SG plus people from the120 local people who had indicated an interest in helping when filling in the questionnaire.

The Vision and Objectives were presented at five consultation events held in November 2018 and based on the responses, revisions were made to the Vision and also to the Objectives. The WGs then started to work on planning policies to address the Objectives. This involved research to obtain evidence to support the Objectives and then work to write policies which would be “water-tight” when tested.

What we are doing now and in the near future

As of July 1^st 2020 the draft Neighbourhood Plan has been commented on informally by TDC and also by a specialist planning consultant. Both sets of comments have been very helpful and the Steering Group has made the recommended changes. The Plan received the support of the Town Council at its meeting on June 29^th.

The revised draft will be officially entitled the Pre-submission Neighbourhood Plan and will now undergo a major (at least 6-week) community consultation, carried out under the auspices of the Town Council.

A special edition of the Town Council Newsletter “Quality Update” will be delivered to every home and business in the Parish and will also be available on this website. Quality Update will contain:

• a list of all the Policies in the Pre-submission Neighbourhood Plan
• details on how to access a copy of the Plan, either online or a paper copy
• an explanation of the ways you can comment on the Plan

The Pre-submission Neighbourhood Plan will be sent to any official body or organisation whose interests might be affected by the proposals contained in the Plan and also, formally, to TDC.

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To read or download a copy of the documents supporting the consultation, please find links below:

• Bovey Parish Neighbourhood Plan (Pre Submission version) - Click here to view 
• Bovey parish Neighbourhood Plan Appendices - Click here to view
• Habitat Regulation Assessment of the Pre Submission Bovey Parish Neighbourhood Plan - Click here to view 
• Strategic Environmental Assessment Screening Report of the Pre Submission Bovey Parish Neighbourhood Plan - Click here to view 
• Summarised feedback from Consultant and Local Planning Authority on Pre Submission Bovey Parish Neighbourhood Plan - Click here to view
• Community Questionnaire report - Click here to view
• Bovey Tracey Parking Audit - Click here to view

 

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Once the consultation period is over, changes will be made to the Pre-submission document based on the comments received. The revised document is now the Submission Neighbourhood Plan and will be formally submitted, along with a number of required documents to TDC and Dartmoor National Park Authority. TDC will check that the submitted Submission Neighbourhood Plan complies with the applicable legal processes and requirements, and that appropriate consultations have been conducted.

TDC will publicise the Plan for a 6-week period and call for representation from interested people or bodies.

TDC will also appoint a qualified and experienced person to “examine” the Plan and the supporting information which is required to be provided along with the Plan. Representations made at this stage will be passed to the Examiner. The Examiner will decide whether the Plan:

• has regard to national policy
• contributes to the achievement of sustainable development
• is in general conformity with the adopted strategic policies for the area
• meets human rights requirements

Based on the Examiner’s Report, TDC will publish a decision statement. The Examiner may recommend that the Plan proceeds to the next stage – a Referendum. More usually modifications are recommended before the Plan can proceed to Referendum.

The Referendum is arranged by the local authority – TDC. Information about the Neighbourhood Plan will be published for 28 working days prior to the date of the Referendum. If more than 50% of those voting vote in favour of the Neighbourhood Plan then the Plan will become part of the statutory plan for Bovey Parish.

Finally, we realise this process is complex – we have certainly found it so. If you wish to learn more about the production of a neighbourhood plan, then we recommend Neighbourhood Plans Roadmap.