Saltash Neighbourhood Plan Referendum Result is 92.5% YES vote.

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Saltash Neighbourhood Plan Successful at Independent Examination – Referendum is on 17th March!

The Independent Examination of the Submitted Draft Saltash Neighbourhood Development Plan has concluded and the Examiners Report has been considered by the Local Planning Authority [Cornwall Council].

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? The Plan now carries ‘considerable weight’ in planning application decisions, pending a Referendum of local people on the Plan, which has now been authorised by Cornwall Council and will take place on the 17th March.

Information notes and voting slips will be arriving with all registred voters in the Parish in the post in the next couple of weeks. Please watch out for them!

WHAT DOES THE EXAMINERS REPORT SAY? The Examination is essentially a ‘health check’ to see that the Plan is ‘fit for purpose’.

The Examiner said that…..

‘The Plan, covering as it does a sizeable town comprehensively, is complex, with a substantial evidence base’.

Its development has been well-co-ordinated with the progress of the Development Plan and strategic policy framework’.

‘This Plan is an impressive effort in a complex planning environment by a mainly volunteer workforce’ ‘

‘My compliments to the local community volunteers and Saltash Town Council, who have worked hard to produce this extensive and comprehensive Plan’

She found that the Plan met the ‘Basic Conditions’ governing NDP making, in that it has regard to national policies and guidance, contributes to sustainable development, is in general conformity with the Cornwall Local Plan, conforms to environmental regulations and complies with human rights law.

She recommended that the Plan should go to Referendum, with some modifications. These included:

General and minor changes to Policy text which will make the Plan more robust in planning terms, and clearer to its users,
Deletion of some small Local Green Spaces and one local listing site,
Removal of climate change policies, as she considered that, as late rising issues, there had been insufficient public consultation on them.

The Vision, aims, and objectives of the Plan, and the policy strategy to achieve them, remain largely untouched.

You can see a copy of the Examiner’s Report by this link: Examiners Report.

You can see a copy of the NDP as modified, via this link: Saltash NDP Post Examination Version.

The removal of the climate change policies is not considered to be a problem, as the Cornwall Climate Emergency Plan, submitted to Government in time for the COP26 meeting, contains stronger policies and will be in force soon.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? The Referendum will be organised by Cornwall Council.

At the Referendum, all registered electors in Saltash will be entitled to vote for or against the NDP. If the majority of those voting are in favour of the Plan, it will be adopted by Cornwall Council as a formal planning document which must be taken into account when future planning decisions facing Saltash are decided by Cornwall Council, Planning Inspectors, and the Environment Secretary.

If the vote is against the NDP, then Cornwall Council will only take into account national and county-wide planning policies when it considers planning applications.

Local voters must decide which is best.

Plenty of notice will be given in advance of the Referendum. Please watch out for explanatory leaflets and voting cards coming through the post soon.

WHY SHOULD I VOTE? The vote is about the future planning of our town. It is important that the result reflects the will of the local Saltash community!

Please use your vote when the Referendum takes place.

IMPORTANT NOTE: THE SALTASH NEIGHBOURHOOD DEVELOPMENT PLAN DOES NOT ALLOCATE LAND FOR HOUSING IN THE PILL AREA OF SALTASH.

FOR INFORMATION ON THAT SEE CORNWALL COUNCIL’S LOCAL PLAN ALLOCATIONS DEVELOPMENT PLAN DOCUMENT FROM THE MENU TO THE LEFT.

Why are the community of Saltash preparing a Neighbourhood Plan?

Saltash is a thriving community, with lots of drive and ambition to improve. Right at the ‘Gateway to Cornwall’, it has a unique waterfront setting, excellent transport links, and with the great City of Plymouth just across the Tamar, its a desirable place to live, work, learn and visit. These give immense opportunities for prosperity through well balanced growth.

But there are challenges: the affordability of housing, low wages, competing land uses, traffic and pedestrian congestion, the changing balance within our community, and global environmental change to name a few.

We need to take the opportunities and tackle the challenges so that our present needs are met without harming the ability of future generations to meet their needs. That is the essence of sustainable development.

The Saltash Neighbourhood Plan is the opportunity for everyone in the town to have a real say as to how sustainable development is done. It’s a new type of plan that has come about from the Localism Act 2011 which gives everyone who lives in a local area the democratic right to be involved in drawing up the plan.

What’s more, when it’s written, the plan has to be agreed through a local referendum, in which everyone on the electoral roll gets a vote. If the vote is in favour, the Neighbourhood Plan is ‘made’ in law and cannot be ignored when planning applications are decided by Cornwall Council, Planning Inspectors, or the Government.

A Neighborhood Plan can control the way that land is used for housing, business, shops and leisure. It could also protect green spaces and influence the design of buildings and estates, tackle difficult issues and support the things that make Saltash such a great place to live, work, learn and visit.

Why should we care? Well, if we are all involved, our community’s creativity, energy and diversity can be released to make a plan that is fair, inclusive, and well-balanced. So please get involved and get your views across!