Alderley Edge Parish Council is considering putting together a neighbourhood plan which is a community led plan that sets out the vision and policies for the future development of the village.
Once 'made' by the local planning authority it forms part of the statutory development plan and must be used in making decisions on planning applications.
Councillor Geoff Hall said "The benefits would be it would enable us to take the lead in producing part of the statutory development plan for the area, setting parameters for the future direction of the village.
"Grant funding is available from Cheshire East and the Government and it is possible to work within this funding."
Councillor Hall added "On the basis of the research we have done so far, the Parish Council believes that it makes sense for us to embark on creating our own neighbourhood plan, as many other Parishes around Cheshire have. So we agreed at the last meeting to take the process to the next stage, but for the moment not to commit ourselves to expenditure until we know more."
The next step is for the Parish Council to define the area to be covered by the Neighbourhood Plan and submit this to Cheshire East, then to set up a Steering Group. Typically it takes around two years to prepare a neighbourhood plan.
Councillor Hall continued "Christine Munro is leading the process for the Parish Council and she has already been contacted by local people who would like to be involved, but we do need more people with relevant skills to join us. We are also keen, wherever possible, to draw on work done on the previous Parish Plan."
Neighbourhood plans effectively replaced Parish and Town Plans when they were introduced as part of the Localism Act 2011. Cheshire East Council is currently working with more than 20 communities to bring forward neighbourhood plans and is encouraging many more to do so.
This week Bunbury's became the second neighbourhood plan to pass examination in Cheshire East, following Brereton's successful examination.
Speaking recently Councillor Ainsley Arnold, Cabinet member in charge of housing and planning, said: "The Council has made a big commitment to helping our residents prepare neighbourhood plans that shape how their communities will develop."
He added "Neighbourhood planning is really taking off in Cheshire East with 23 of our communities actively involved in the plan-making process and a lot more in the early stages of discussion.
"It's an excellent way for residents to take ownership of those really important issues that we all grapple with in the planning system and we've expanded the neighbourhood planning team to make sure this happens. I look forward to seeing more of our communities submit plans to us and to steering them through the process."
While a neighbourhood plan is flexible to some extent in terms of what can be included, it has to meet certain requirements, including four 'basic conditions'. These relate to ensuring that neighbourhood plans: properly consider national planning policy; are compatible with the strategic policies of the latest adopted local plan; seek to achieve sustainable development and do not conflict with certain legal provisions.
Wilmslow Town Council recently allocated a budget of £35,000 for developing a Neighbourhood Plan in 2015/16 and anticipate that a smaller budget will be required for 2016/17.
Comments
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No offence Wilmslow!
I was the one that had a look at this for the last P.C.
I consulted the Chairs several adjacent P.Cs.
I talked with one of the commercial organisations that tend to get involved to represent a P.C. or Town C.
In the end we decided not to go ahead as there was a real chance that the cost could get up into the tens of thousands of £s.
Nothing wrong with re-visiting the possibility but beware any 'honeyed words' ?