Hello,
We are now into the home straight of Neighbourhood Plan consultation period. Three more weeks for residents and friends to have a say. Don’t be surprised if I focus on this topic for the next couple of weeks. As I’ve said previously, the more feedback we get, the more force the Plan has. Developers of our Area will have to take note of our policies and shape their plans in a way that works for us all.
You know we’ve had meetings with local landowners on a number of occasions over the past 2 years. We expect them to provide us with ‘constructive criticism’ in the last few days of consultation. As landowners, their views carry weight and must be taken seriously. But the views of the community are equally important. In fact, they are essential to counteract perhaps the key motivation of landowners / developers; to maximise value for their shareholders. So, we need your comments, your thoughts, your views. Okay… enough of the hectoring tone, you know what you need to do.
1. Initial feedback.
- We’ve collated feedback received thus far. Main themes emerging are:
- A strong level of support for the Plan especially the overall approach and objectives. There have been suggestions to strengthen a couple of the policies. We will consider all suggestions and make amendments to the Plan where necessary.
- The protection of the environment and green spaces is (not unexpectedly) a ‘hot’ topic and respondents are pleased with the emphasis we have given to green corridors in the Plan. Concerns have been raised regarding ongoing maintenance of green spaces both current and new.
- The development of the Barracks and how best to exploit the opportunities also feature strongly.
- Housing has also been mentioned with views varying from those wanting bigger homes contrasting markedly with those recommending smaller units for “first time and final time householders”. Sustainability of new homes is also seen as key to building homes we can be proud of.
- However, we’ve only received 16 formal responses so far. We need a lot more than this – many more.
2. Making feedback easier
- To encourage feedback, we have adapted the MS Word response form to make it simpler to complete. The form mirrors the on-line layout i.e. a series of initial tick boxes followed by some free-form comment boxes.
- Here is another link to the on-line form you can use to capture your views
- Here is a link to a MS Word version of the form if you prefer to download the document to complete in your own time. Return the form via email or else copy/paste your comments into the online form.
3. A couple of meetings took place last week
- Mott MacDonald are a consultancy commissioned by Notts County Council to provide plans for infrastructure in and around the East Midlands Hub station. We met with them for the first time last week to share our ideas on (in particular) roads leading down to the station. It was a productive first meeting and it was clear there was a good deal of alignment between our ideas and Mott MacDonald’s initial thoughts. More work is needed so we look forward to building on this meeting.
- Beeston Civic Society. We’ve been trying to organise a meeting for several weeks but finally managed to get together last week. We are keen to strengthen ties with local organisations and societies so we can share ideas and work together when feasible. Again, it was useful meeting and we have agreed to make a presentation to the Civic Society next year (around the time our Plan is formally adopted) to explain the Plan and the impact we expect it to make.
4. And finally…
- A couple of other consultations are underway that might be of interest:
- Peveril have submitted a further planning application for a piece of their land against Toton Lane between George Spencer Academy and Rose House. We are comfortable with this application – it builds on their previous application to build a mix of retail shops, a pub/restaurant and a residential home. Peveril need to demonstrate they are actively working on their existing planning permission otherwise it may lapse. So, we don’t believe these plans will be taken forward ‘in anger’. If you are interested in the detail here is a link to the Council’s Planning page. You need to enter the Application ref: 19/00493/REM in the search box to bring up the documents
- Broxtowe Council are also consulting on their new Corporate Plan. You may have received leaflets about this already but in case you have mislaid the information here is a link to the relevant page.
Next week’s consultation session: Sat 7th Sept between 10.00 and 12.30 at Chilwell Library & Community Centre on Inham Road. I’m probably sounding a tad repetitive now but even so… Come along and have your say. [Even better, though, is for you to fill in a response form (online or in Word) and submit it to us. Many thanks!]
Kind regards
Graham
Broxtowe Lotto: tickets available from our CTTC Forum page where you’ll find details of the scheme.