Wilmslow Town Council is going to consult with the public and explore the merits of creating a Neighbourhood Plan for Wilmslow.
Neighbourhood plans are planning documents that allow communities to set out their vision for their local area and general planning policies to shape and direct development in their neighbourhood. They are led and written by the community, not the Council, but have to be in line with the adopted plans of Cheshire East and national policy.
Preparing a neighbourhood plan is a substantial undertaking which will take significant time and effort from a community.
Wilmslow Town Council has agreed a publicity budget of £3000 to enable them to hold a public meeting and publicise the event to ensure the local community are clear about the implications of producing a neighbourhood plan and what a plan can achieve.
Cllr Keith Purdom explained "We were looking at what a neighbourhood plan was and whether it was something we were interested in. We have met with an independent expert and the Town Clerk and myself have attended a meeting in Holmes Chapel where Cheshire East presented to them about neighbourhood plans.
"A Neighbourhood Plan firstly has to be compliant with Cheshire East's plan, it is not a method by which we can change anything in the Cheshire East plan such as reducing the number of houses. It has to firstly pass a compliant test if it is to be adopted.
"The other thing it needs to pass before it can be adopted is a full referendum which needs us to prove there has been full consultation with all parts of the Wilmslow community.
"It is a Wilmslow Town Council led initiative as we understand it but the bulk of the work is done by volunteers so it is a very onerous task. The cost runs in to tens of thousands and there is a lot of work.
"We have discovered that not all councils are in favour of it and not all the people in different council areas are in favour of it but we the SPP (Strategic Planning Panel) felt it was not for us to make a decision yes or no, if yes permitted residents to do loads and loads of work, and if no prevented them from engaging and making that contribution. So the recommendation before you is we call a public meeting, attended by experts and perhaps by CEC experts to set out what's involved and gage the publics reaction.
"We also want to give, if the full Council supports the approach, it the widest publicity which is why we are asking for a publicity budget probably to spent on leafleting as we did earlier when we were looking at housing projects, to leaflet the entire community."
Cllr Adrian Bradley said "The Neighbourhood Plan is by definition a plan for growth and that is something I feel does not attract people's enthusiasm - to me that's a very serious consideration before we get too involved."
Cllr Christopher Dodson added "The Neighbourhood Plan couldn't propose any less development than the Cheshire East Local Plan proposes.
"I see merit in having a Neighbourhood Plan in particular in relation to the town centre where my hunch is that the CEC level plan is going to say very little about the town centre.
"Views have been expressed quite strongly on the town centre and a Neighbourhood Plan would give us a mechanism for testing those views. Ultimately as you explained it would go to a referendum."
Wilmslow Town Council are hoping to hold the public event to discuss developing a Neighbourhood Plan for Wilmslow in early July.
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
Perhaps you could lead us forward then?
Judging by the above comments from our Town Councillors, this would be an onerous task which might actually involve someone, other than their collective selves, getting up and doing something.
Question to Keith Purdom: "We have met with an independent expert"... what exactly does that mean?