Have you submitted your views on the Draft Neighbourhood Plan yet? This is YOUR chance to help shape the future of YOUR town – don’t miss out! Go to https://www.abingdon.gov.uk/neighbourhood-plan to take part.
What are the benefits of a Neighbourhood Plan?
Neighbourhood planning enables communities to play a much stronger role in shaping the areas in which they live and work and in supporting new development proposals. This is because unlike the parish, village or town plans that communities may have prepared, a neighbourhood plan forms part of the development plan and will sit alongside the Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire District Councils’ Joint Local Plan 2041 (currently under examination) . Decisions on planning applications will be made using both the Local Plan and the neighbourhood plan, and any other material considerations.
Neighbourhood planning provides the opportunity for communities to set out a positive vision for how they want their community to develop over the next ten, fifteen, twenty years in ways that meet identified local need and make sense for local people. They can put in place planning policies that will help deliver that vision or grant planning permission for the development they want to see.
The Key Benefits are:
- It can protect areas from types of change (such as too much of one type of business)
- It can include policies to influence new building design, or alterations to existing buildings.
- It can protect or propose the creation of open spaces (Green Gaps, Nature reserves / wildlife corridors, allotments, sports pitches, play areas, parks and gardens, and important historic assets)
- It enables the local community to retain more of the money collected from development, to spend on local projects.
- It gives us, the residents of Abingdon-on-Thames, more say and control over our community
- It enables us to ensure we protect the things we value the most
- It enables to manage change effectively and ensure they benefit our community.
- It allows us to encourage developers build what we believe our community needs and wants. (such greater numbers of affordable houses, developments more suited to elderly residents)
- It can say where and what type of development should happen (new housing, or for businesses)
