Update on Progress – June 2018

We have now submitted our 3rd application for funding towards the cost of producing the Neighbourhood Plan and we are awaiting approval for this by Groundwork, the agents for Locality the fund provider. The funding is for our projected spend during 2018 and amounts to £7,400 inc VAT and a further application for funding, to complete the plan, will be made in 2019 in the new financial year.

As we have previously stressed, an essential part of the Neighbourhood Planning process is to ensure that we engage with the community. We have done this through meetings, through questionnaires and by using the local magazine together with the dedicated NP website and the website of the Parish Council.

An issue for us, following our Call for Sites (where we asked landowners to submit their proposals for land that could be developed), is how to continue this initiative. Having considered the various options, we have decided to hold an “Open Day” on Saturday July 7th. This will have the advantage in that it will enable the community to come and see the sites that have been both submitted and additionally, those that have been identified as potentially suitable for development. There will be information available on each site and an opportunity for people to provide us with their feedback. The display will also include the adopted Vision and other parts of the plan so that you can also see the progress that is being made.
Our Strategic Environmental Assessment Scoping Report (SEA) has now been sent out to the relevant consultative bodies for them to “formally” respond and its hoped to also be able to display parts of this.

Allowing time for the statistical analysis of the data obtained from the Open Day, and for the consultees to comment on the SEA, we should be able to engage with landowners in the middle of August, with the intention being to finalise the assessment and selection process in early September whilst, at the same time, moving forward with other elements of the Plan.

The Neighbourhood Plan pages on the Parish website, together with articles in the WVM and our dedicated Neighbourhood Plan website and Facebook page continue to provide information on our progress.

YOU CAN CONTACT THE NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN WORKING GROUP at yetminsterplan@gmail.co.uk