This is an early ‘heads up’ that the Parish Council is looking to review the Neighbourhood Plan.
It is anticipated that the review may result in a few changes due to changing local needs and also the Parish Council now has Climate and Nature resolutions in place.
Towards the end of last year some funding came available for a Housing Needs Survey to be undertaken, which has been applied for and granted.
Over the next few days – by Saturday 29th March – this survey will arrive to Freshford residents by post, and also a community email will be sent out with a link to the form online. People with an interest in Freshford will be able to complete the online form.
Limpley Stoke have decided that they wish to change the definition of Infill and have already engaged with planning consultants to draft this.The 2 Parish Councils will be meeting in April to work out how to work together in updating the Neighbourhood Plan.
Freshford PC is currently planning what needs to be done and how we are going to do it. There will definitely be a need for community involvement as this is a community plan. What that involvement will look like is yet to be decided.
Local Plan
B&NES are currently in the process of reviewing the Local Plan and have come under huge pressure to build a significant number of new homes.
Decisions on where these are to be placed have not yet been made.
Freshford is in the fortunate position of being a sustainable community, however that will also bring pressures. The Housing Needs Survey is the first step of being able to discuss the issue of housing on the basis of evidence. The other factor that Freshford has in it’s favour is the setting – it is just not possible for any significant development to be undertaken due to the constraints. Fortunately B&NES seem to accept this.
In short, there will not be c.500 additional houses developed in Freshford but that does not mean that we won’t come under pressure.
The decision to review and possibly update the Neighbourhood Plan has been made at an opportune moment which will help the PC in future discussions on the Local Plan.