Welcome to Our Plan
What is a Neighbourhood Plan?
A Legal document compiled by residents which sets out policies and proposals that allow us to have a major say about the future for places where we live and work.
Our Plan will form part of the Braintree District Council’s Local Development Plan and have the same weight as its policies.
What area will our
Plan cover?
What’s the Point?
Community Empowerment:
Our opportunity to say YES this is what we DO want, not just NO this is what we DON’T want.
Highlight community needs, create a shared vision and influence the way the area develops.
Produce a legal document that becomes part of Braintree District Council’s (BDC) Local Development Plan and has a key role in all planning decisions in our area.
Community-led Development:
Outline projects to be implemented by a Community Trust (eg. sustainable homes, heritage walks or allotments)
Allocate sites to meet local needs including housing, business or community uses (eg. renewable energy scheme, business hub or Sports/Arts facilities).
Reduce risk of speculative development and give direction to the use of developer contributions.
A Voice on Strategic Issues:
Highlight community priorities on HGV traffic, public transport, parking, broadband, business and employment, crime and healthcare.
Design proposals and policies that acknowledge limitations of local accessibility & discourage development which generates unacceptable traffic levels.
Protect What We Love:
Put forward policies and measures designed to protect the natural and built environment.
Specify and protect environmental and heritage assets, key local views and walkways.
Recognise our remoteness & green spaces as an opportunity to enhance local skills, businesses, health and our natural environment.
Why a Joint plan?
These plans can take 5 years to complete! We want to be much quicker.
Recent years have shown us how working together can be effective.
Households spread across a wide area.
Preserve separate identities of each parish, hamlet & village whilst highlighting our common values.
People live in one parish & work in the other
Shared common history, interests, demographics & landscapes.
Airbase spreads across several parishes
Many things already happening to protect our landscape extend beyond parish boundaries
Each village has residents with time or technical knowledge to help us. Together we can share resources & ideas.
Together we are Stronger!
Other parishes have done similar things
Why don’t we just do a Parish or Village Plan?
A Parish or Village Plan does not form part of the development plan or sit alongside the local plan prepared by the local planning authority.
Is anyone else doing this?
Neighbourhood Plans at Coggeshall, Cressing, Feering, Hatfield Peverel, Kelvedon, Bradwell with Pattiswick, & The Salings are complete.
Great Yeldham, Stisted, Great Bardfield, Toppesfield, Gosfield, Bures Hamlet and Bures St Mary, Steeple Bumpstead, Earls Colne & Witham are ongoing. Shalford are due to start soon.
Who is doing it?
Working with the Parish councils, a small team of unpaid volunteers from all across our parishes will co-ordinate the process Membership of this team is open to everyone. We need your help!
Who is paying for it?
Most of the work is unpaid but there is some government funding to pay for professional support, printing & venue hire.
Technical help is freely available on some topics, as well as the assistance of the Rural Community Council of Essex and Braintree District Council.