Hello,
In the last edition I said I would to provide an update “next week” of the meeting we held with the new Head of Planning at Broxtowe Borough Council. Unfortunately, I was tied up last week drafting the newsletter, hence a 2-week gap to this missive. You’ll also recall I was ‘complaining’ a few weeks ago about how quiet things were over the summer period. Well, things have definitely started to pick up again so there is a lot to report this week.
1. Plan Update
- The first topic discussed at our meeting with the Council was the progress of our Neighbourhood Plan through the approval process. The news is positive, although we still don’t have a date when the next stage – the Regulation 16 consultation – will take place.
- However, the Council did confirm that they are very close to finishing their review prior to Reg 16 consultation and we were assured the exercise will take place ‘imminently’. We intend to hold them to their word on this as there is no excuse not to start this stage during October.
- The following stage in the process, Independent Examination, can start as soon as Reg 16 is finished so we asked the Council for a list of potential examiners for us to review and provide our recommendation. We quickly received the list and the Steering Group is now reviewing the candidates. More on this in future editions.
2. Neighbourhood Development Order (NDO)
- The other main topic was the NDO. We explained to the Council that we believe an NDO will help us shape the development of the Barracks as detailed in our Plan. In particular that it will help generate a ‘village’ feel centred around a neighbourhood shopping area located next to the memorial garden.
- We went on to explain that we have engaged Locality (the govt-funded body who supports Neighbourhood Forums) and they are supportive of our ambitions to produce a masterplan for the Barracks and believe an NDO is the appropriate mechanism.
- The Council listened carefully to our arguments and we are very pleased to report that they will support us in producing the NDO, with the proviso that we align with the strategic overarching masterplan being produced by Arup consultants (more on this below).
- The next steps for us now is to: (1) meet with Homes England to explain our NDO plans and, hopefully, collaborate with them in producing a masterplan and (2) obtain quotes from masterplanners to undertake this piece of work.
3. Forum Newsletter
- The draft has been produced and is currently being refined ready for sign-off this week before it goes to the printers. Assuming printing takes a week, we are planning to start delivery to all households in Toton & Chilwell Meadows and Chilwell West from Monday 12th. Many, many thanks to all who have volunteered to help deliver the leaflets. I will be in touch shortly with you with more details.
- The final version will be published here next time, and regular readers of these updates will quickly spot that it is mostly a rehash of previous digest articles. So, there will be little new for you to pick up on. As you know, the Digest is currently sent out to circa 800 unique email addresses and it is opened/read by approx. 400 each time.
- The prime purpose of the newsletter is to publicise the Forum to non-Digest readers and inform them that:
- we have submitted our Plan
- we stay close to major planning news in the area (Notts CC purchase)
- we have planned future activities (FGs and NDO) to make sure we stay around to oversee the delivery of the Plan
- Of course, we hope to add more digest readers to our current list. Aiming for a further 100 residents to register with us is perhaps being optimistic, but here’s hoping…
4. Update on the Supplementary Planning Document (SPD)
- I mentioned this document last time and you’ll remember that it is made up of an overarching masterplan that, once approved, will become a supplement (as you might have guessed!) to the Council’s current Local Plan. The SPD covers the whole of the proposed development taking place in our Area over the next 20 years.
- The masterplan stretches from the River Erewash on the west side of Toton Sidings and moves eastwards covering the top of Stapleford/Toton Lane (south of the tram line on the east side of the Lane) and finishes with the whole of Chetwynd Barracks.
- We learned this week that the consultation exercise on the proposals to be included in the SPD will take place for 6 weeks in October and November. Given the current covid restrictions, it will all take place on-line in a virtual consultation room. I’ll provide links to the site in the next edition and explain more about the contents and how it all works then.
No space for anything more this time. And it will be 3 weeks before the next edition hits your inboxes as I’ll be away for a week (in a cottage near Liskeard) from next Saturday. Fingers crossed it stays dry.
Kind regards
Graham
CTTC Neighbourhood Plan. Copies are available from this page on our website.
Broxtowe Lotto: tickets available from our CTTC Forum page where you’ll also find details of the scheme