The Localism ActThe Localism Act became good law in November 2011. The Act delegates decision making on planning down to the lowest, grassroots level, so that the people on the ground make decisions about what development is approved in their own neighbourhood. It is the re-birth of town planning.
The Act provides communities with the opportunity to develop a Neighbourhood Plan. This Plan should identify where housing development will take place and can go as far as to specify the type of housing [from affordable housing to executive homes]. The Plan will specify which areas and which buildings need to be preserved and protected and will consider issues such as highways and transport infrastructure, schools and retail facilities in addition to community assets such as Halls and churches. The only rule is that “no new development” is not an option. The act is designed to help communities to move forward. Thorne and Moorends Town Council is committed to developing a Neighbourhood Plan, to ensure that people from Thorne and Moorends are moving Thorne and Moorends forward. Nobody knows better of the needs of our community than the people who live here and, in order to complete this challenge, the Council has established a Steering Group. Whilst the Steering Group will lead on the production of the Neighbourhood Plan, it is important that it reflects the aspirations of the whole community and so it is vital that all community organisations, businesses and interested individuals contribute to it. It is important to remember that the Town Council cannot just enforce their views upon local people. Before any plan may be adopted it must be approved by the town residents by was of a community referendum. If the outcome of the referendum is that more than 50% of the community are agreeable with the Plan, then it will be passed and will become binding on other authorities, such as DMBC who currently control such processes. The Council is currently looking for people and organisations to participate in the development of our Plan by giving a few hours of their time to express their views and perhaps work on the detail of the Plan. If you are interested in assisting with the development of our plan or you require any further information, please contact Jeremy Sherlock, Clerk to the Council who's information is available on our 'Contact Us' page. For further information regarding the Localism Act 2011, please download this handy booklet as prepared by Local Government Information Unit. |
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