Know someone who goes above and beyond for Huntingdon? Submit your nomination by 18th April!
Neighbourhood Plan
The Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan provides a vision and objectives for the future of Huntingdon, and sets out planning policies to achieve this vision over the period 2018 to 2026.
Huntingdon is a vibrant market town with a rich history, which the Neighbourhood Plan aims to protect and promote. The plan seeks to enhance the natural environment, support and encourage high quality housing, local employment opportunities and improved retail and leisure facilities in a healthy, green and attractive town.
The plan has been drawn up by the Neighbourhood Plan Sub-Committee, made up of Town Councillors and Huntingdon residents. Huntingdon Town Council is the designated body for the plan area and has provided the funding for the plan. The content of the plan has been based on all the feedback received during the community engagement campaign, where residents told us what they’d like to see in the town.
The Neighbourhood Plan sets down a series of planning policies which will ultimately form part of Huntingdonshire’s wider statutory development plan. This means that all planning applications submitted within the designated Neighbourhood Plan Area must comply with the Neighbourhood Plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise.
Following the public consultation, the plan went before an independent examination and then to a local town referendum requiring a majority “yes” vote for it to be accepted. It is intended that the policies will be reviewed periodically to monitor the cumulative effects of the policies and, if necessary, make changes to keep them up to date and relevant.
Huntingdon Town Council would like to thank everyone who has been a part of the Neighbourhood Plan project, through completing a questionnaire, coming along to a community engagement event or commenting on the draft plans. In undergoing this process, we have seen first-hand the passion that our community has for our town and how it develops over the coming years.
On Thursday 19th September 2019, residents of Huntingdon voted in the Neighbourhood Plan referendum, and the plan received an 87% majority of ‘yes’ votes. It will now become part of Huntingdonshire’s development plan.
These files may not be suitable for users of assistive technology and are in the following formats: .docx. .pdf. Request an accessible format.
What is a Neighbourhood Plan?
A Neighbourhood Plan is a community-led framework for guiding the future development, regeneration and conservation of a town. It is intended to give communities more of a say in the development of their local area and can deal with a wide range of social, economic and environmental issues (such as housing, employment, heritage and transport) that are relevant to the whole town. Once approved by the Local Planning Authority, the plan goes to referendum in the area it affects. If accepted, the plan forms part of the local planning policy.
If the Neighbourhood Plan receives a majority of ‘yes’ votes in the referendum, Huntingdon will receive an extra 10% of CIL funding from new developments in the town. This means more money to be spent on infrastructure in the town, rather than being spread across the district!
The planning system helps decide what gets built, where and when. It is essential for supporting economic growth, improving people’s quality of life, and protecting the natural environment.
In theory, planning was always supposed to give local communities a say in decisions that affect them. But in practice, communities have often found it hard to have a meaningful say. By enabling local councils to create a Neighbourhood Plan they are giving some planning power back to local residents, employees and business, councils and civic leaders – those who know best the needs of their local areas.
The main stages of a Neighbourhood Plan are:
- Define the neighbourhood – boundaries are decided and an application is made to the local planning authority by the leaders of the Plan
- Prepare the plan – this is the main stage of community involvement and will lead to the creation of the Plan document
- Independent check – an independent examiner will check that it meets the right basic standards
- Community referendum – 50% of people voting must be in favour of the Plan
- Legal force – The Plan is official – and planners are obliged to consider proposals for development in the neighbourhood against the Neighbourhood Plan.
Why does Neighbourhood Planning matter?
The planning system helps decide what gets built, where and when. It is essential for supporting economic growth, improving people’s quality of life, and protecting the natural environment.
In theory, planning was always supposed to give local communities a say in decisions that affect them. But in practice, communities have often found it hard to have a meaningful say. By enabling local councils to create a Neighbourhood Plan they are giving some planning power back to local residents, employees and business, councils and civic leaders – those who know best the needs of their local areas.
The main stages of a Neighbourhood Plan are:
- Define the neighbourhood – boundaries are decided and an application is made to the local planning authority by the leaders of the Plan
- Prepare the plan – this is the main stage of community involvement and will lead to the creation of the Plan document
- Independent check – an independent examiner will check that it meets the right basic standards
- Community referendum – 50% of people voting must be in favour of the Plan
- Legal force – The Plan is official – and planners are obliged to consider proposals for development in the neighbourhood against the Neighbourhood Plan.
Independent Examination
These files may not be suitable for users of assistive technology and are in the following formats: .pdf. Request an accessible format.