Following North Kesteven District Council's recent decision that the Neighbourhood Plan does not require a full Strategic Environmental Assessment, we are now in a position to begin the formal six-week public consultation. This will begin on 19th September and conclude on 30th October, 2016.

A copy of the full Plan can be viewed at:

http://parishes.lincolnshire.gov.uk/Files/Parish/838/Nocton_and_Potterhanworth_Neighbourhood_Plan__Final_Printed_Version.pdf

Each household in Nocton and Potterhanworth will shortly be receiving a letter explaining more about the consultation process and the different ways in which comments can be made. The letter will include a Consultation Response Form which can be used to submit comments. Copies of the letter and response form can be found and downloaded from either of the Parish Council's websites.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE  KNOW WHAT RESIDENTS AND OTHERS THINK ABOUT THE PLAN. SO, PLEASE, DO LET US HAVE YOUR COMMENTS.

If you would like to find out more about our Neighbourhood Plan before making your comments, then you may also wish to attend one of the following consultation events where someone will be on hand to answer any questions you may have (all events are open to residents of both villages):

 

Nocton Village Hall                Saturday, 1^st October from 10.00 a.m. until 12.00 noon
Potterhanworth Pavilion         Saturday, 8^th October from 10.00 a.m. until 12.00 noon
Nocton Parish Church             Friday, 21^st October from 2.00 p.m. until 4.00 p.m.
Potterhanworth Pavilion         Wednesday, 26^th October from 7.00 p.m. until 8.30 p.m.

In addition to consulting with residents, we are also seeking the views of a wide range of businesses, land owners, agencies and other local groups and organisations who have a close association or relationship with the villages.

At the conclusion of the consultation period, we will analyse all of the comments received and make any necessary changes to the Plan before sending it to NKDC for the next stage of the process. This will involve an independent inspection by a Planning Professional prior to the local referendum.

Ian Goldsworthy
Chair of Nocton Parish Council

After submitting the Plan to NKDC for its Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), a number of helpful amendments were suggested to improve its content and the effectiveness, etc of the proposed polices, particularly that for the future of the Nocton Hall/former RAF Hospital sites (Policy 3).

These have now been incorporated into the Plan and a revised final version re-submitted. The Plan can be viewed at http://parishes.lincolnshire.gov.uk/Nocton/

Once the SEA has been completed, the next stage of the process will be to carry out the formal six week public consultation. It is now hoped that this will begin in the Autumn.

A copy of the latest version of the Neighbourhood Plan which has recently been sent to North Kesteven District Council for its Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) can now be viewed at:

http://parishes.lincolnshire.gov.uk/Files/Parish/838/Neighbourhood_Plan_v18_Draft_for_SEA.pdf

It is important to note that this is not the final version for formal public consultation as this process cannot begin until we have received the "go ahead" from NKDC.  However, it is appreciated that residents of Nocton and Potterhanworth and others may appreciate an early sight of the Plan - it is hoped that there will not be too many changes required after the SEA!

Councillor Ian Goldsworthy
Chair of the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group

Just a quick update on the progress of our Neighbourhood Plan. Our draft Plan has now been reviewed by an "independent" Planning professional who has made a number of suggestions to help us improve the content and effectiveness of the proposed policies.  These comments have now been reviewed by the Steering Group and a "final" draft Plan prepared. This will shortly be submitted to North Kesteven District Council who will carry out a formal assessment of the proposed Plan to check that it does not have a strategic impact on the local environment. We would be very surprised if it did but this is part of the planning process!

Once we have the "green light" from NKDC - expected by the end of the month/early July - the Plan will then go to a formal six week consultation with local residents, businesses and land owners. There will, therefore, be plenty of time for everyone to have their say and make sure that the "final" Plan reflects the local community's views.

Once any comments have been incorporated into the draft, it will be reviewed by a Planning Inspector who may or may not decide to make further changes. Only once that has been done will the Plan go to a local referendum to be voted on.

Once NKDC has finished its assessment, further information and publicity on the consultation arrangements and next steps will be made available both on this blog and through other local media, etc.

Councillor Ian Goldsworthy
Chair of the Steering Group

A draft outline of the key policies, etc to be included in the Proposed Neighbourhood Plan was circulated to all households just before Christmas inviting comments. This was followed up by two public meetings (one in Nocton on 12th January and one in Potterhanworth on 18th January). Very few formal responses were, in fact, made by residents to this part of the initial consultation process and those which were submitted were generally very supportive of the approach being taken so far.

 

Hopefully, this can be taken to mean that the Plan is "on the right track”. More comments were made during the course of the two public meetings, notably in connection with the future of the Nocton Hall.

 

All comments made as part of the consultation process will be posted on this Blog in due course.

 

The next stage is to prepare a more detailed version of the Plan for further consultation and this is currently being drafted by the Steering Group.  Hopefully, it will be ready for further refinement, etc. by the two Community Groups in March.

 

Ian Goldsworthy - Chair of the Steering Group

Outline of the Draft Neighbourthood Plan - Your Opportunity to Comment

NOCTON AND POTTERHANWORTH NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN

 
January, 2016

Dear Resident,

 

First, may we say “thank you” to all those villagers who returned their Neighbourhood Plan Questionnaires.  The response was overwhelming (some 42% overall!) and this has enabled the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group to produce the first draft of our Plan (which is set out below this letter).  Hopefully, we have captured your key messages and thoughts on how our two villages should develop over the next twenty years or so and this is your opportunity to let us know if we are on “right track”.  We have, however, highlighted three issues on which we would like your further views (particularly around the future of the former Hospital site at Nocton Hall) so please take a few moments to look at this draft Plan and either:

 (1)       Submit your further comments to your Parish Clerk by email or letter to:

            Steve Altridge (01526 321760) – noctonparishcouncil@hotmail.co.uk

 Gemma McClue (01522 875752) – potterhanworthparishcouncil@gmail.com

 

(2)       Use our interactive blog spot at http://nocpotplan.blogspot.co.uk/

(3)               Come along to one or other of the following meetings of your Parish Councils

            where there will be further presentations on the Neighbourhood Plan:

 Nocton – 12^th January at 7.00 p.m.     Potterhanworth – 18^th January at 7.00 p.m.

Further information can, of course, be found on the Parish Council websites:

Nocton – http://parishes.lincolnshire.gov.uk/Nocton/

Potterhanworth – http://parishes.lincolnshire.gov.uk/potterhanworth/

Finally, if you would like to speak to someone about any aspect of the Plan, then please contact your Parish Clerk who will be pleased to put you in touch with the person who can best deal with your enquiry.

 Yours sincerely,

 

Ian Goldsworthy                             Harold Bourne

                                    

Chair of Nocton Parish Council         Chair of Potterhanworth Parish Council

 

NOCTON AND POTTERHANWORTH NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN

 

PROPOSED POLICIES FOR CONSULTATION

 

AIMS (vision for the future)

The residents of Nocton and Potterhanworth wish to:

• Maintain the peaceful and rural character of their villages
• Promote a sustainable and friendly community where people feel safe and have a high quality of life
• Maintain and enhance the surrounding countryside with its local wildlife habitats and recreational opportunities

OBJECTIVES (how to achieve the vision)
 

• To preserve and enhance the landscape setting and internal character of the villages and outlying settlements
• To promote the integration of the various neighbourhood areas within the villages, and between all the settlements in the parishes, through new and enhanced pedestrian and cycle links
• To support additional but limited and sustainable high quality housing development in accordance with the developing Central Lincolnshire Plan 2012-2036, in appropriate locations, which promotes the ‘semi-rural’ character of the villages through the adoption of appropriate building styles, low densities, and green infrastructure
• To facilitate a sustainable solution for the Nocton Hall Hospital site which allows for limited development in order to stabilise the Hall ruin, clear the hospital site of derelict buildings and other infrastructure, and manage the area as a publicly accessible green space

[Questions for consultation: Is this supported?  What is considered an acceptable number of houses on the site?  What other possible and realistic uses are there for this site other than/in addition to housing?]

• To promote improvements to non-motorised and public transport, utility infrastructure and digital connectivity
• To endorse policies that have a positive effect on the environment, including those that remove or minimise flood risk, contribute to mitigating climate change and reduce our carbon footprint

SPECIFIC POLICIES

Housing and the Built Environment

·      To support the provision of limited additional and sustainable housing development in accordance with the provisions of the Central Lincolnshire Local Plan (currently quoted as a max of 16 units across the two villages)

·      No further development outside the village curtilages

(NB: smaller settlements such as Potterhanworth Booths and Wasps Nest would be treated as 'countryside' under the Local Plan)

·      Support infill development where this is of an appropriate design and location

·      Encourage a broad mix of property sizes and types in any proposed development other than infill

·      Nocton Hall Hospital site to be treated as an “exception” to the Local Plan housing allocation and the principles of size of development

·      Any development to be sympathetic to the existing buildings within the villages, particularly those within the Conservation Areas

[Questions for consultation: Are there any sites within the villages which are suitable for small-scale housing development to meet the additional housing required by the Local Plan?  Is an additional 16 units over the next 20 years appropriate to meet future needs? If not, what would be considered appropriate?]

·      Support appropriate wind and/or solar installations for domestic use

·      No large-scale wind or solar panel farms

·      No fracking

·      No oil drilling

·      Any future development to actively consider reducing where possible the carbon footprint of the area

Transport and Access to Local Services

 

·      Maintain and enhance local bus services with particular reference to evening and weekend services, and the provision of further bus stops to meet future needs

·      Ensure any future development includes provision for non-motorised transport as well as cars and allows such traffic to link safely with existing routes

·      Maintain and enhance road, footpath and pavement quality

·      Improve road safety by ensuring appropriate measures are developed to improve traffic flows in, and leading to, any new development as well as to existing areas of the Parishes

·      Reduce traffic levels, in particular heavy goods traffic

 [Question for consultation: How might this be achieved?]

 Local Economy

 

·      Support proposals for business development/light industrial units on the brownfield site at Station Road, Potterhanworth

·      Promote tourism opportunities such as the Spires and Steeples Trail, Nocton Village Trail and countryside walks

Community Wellbeing

 

·      Support any proposals to provide access to primary care medical services in the villages and to work with any potential provider to identify an appropriate location

·      Preserve and enhance facilities of the Nocton Village Hall, Potterhanworth Memorial Hall and Potterhanworth Pavilion

·      Preserve and enhance play and recreational provision ensuring that these are taken into account in any future development

·      Retain The Chequers as a public house and oppose conversion into residential use

·      Support any proposal to open a community shop

·      Support local amenities such as Nocton Post Office, St Andrews' Church and All Saints Church

·      Improve broadband and mobile phone signals for all residents in the parishes including outlying settlements

·      Support local educational provision

·      Identify a site for a burial ground in Nocton

 Quality of Life and Environment

 

·      Encourage the preservation of, or increase in, the number of trees in any development

·      Promote wildlife by preserving habitats and including wildlife 'corridors' in agricultural land

·      Maintain and enhance countryside walks

 

A very big "thank you" to all those residents in Nocton and Potterhanworth who took the time to return their questionnaires. There was an excellent response with over 42% of the 600 plus questionnaires originally delivered being completed and sent back to us!

All of the comments and views received are now being analysed and the results will be used to help draft the first outline of our Neighbourhood Plan. We hope to be able to complete this part of the exercise by the middle of November so that we can start consulting on the first draft before Christmas.

We will endeavour to post the initial results of the analysis on this Blog before the end of the month so that you can see what people think about the future development of our two villages.

The Nocton and Potterhanworth Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group