LATEST NEWS:
Neighbourhood Plan adopted as planning policy
On 16 August 2016 the Neighbourhood Development Plan for Humber, Ford & Stoke Prior was formally adopted as part of Herefordshire’s Development Plan, completing three years’ work.
See the Decision Document: Humber_Ford_Stoke_Prior_Made_Decision_Document
5 September 2016
Older news releases:
29 July 2016: REFERENDUM RESULT – YES 81.8%
The Neighbourhood Plan referendum votes were counted at Hereford Town Hall on Thursday 28 July and the results are as follows:
YES: 193 votes (81.8%)
NO: 43 votes (18.2%).
3 ballot papers were rejected as spoiled.
The total number of votes cast represent 46.13% of registered electors.
This means that our Neighbourhood Plan will become planning policy for our parishes.
Thankyou to everyone who has worked on the plan and assisted with distributing questionnaires and drafts to residents.
18 July 2016: Referendum for our Neighbourhood Plan on 28 July 2016
Our Neighbourhood Plan is at its final stage: a referendum of local electors, who on 28 July 2016 will vote on whether it should be adopted as local planning policy.
All registered local electors are entitled to vote, and have been sent poll cards by the Electoral Services department at Herefordshire Council, telling them when and where they can vote. Please note that it is NOT necessary to take this card to the polling station in order to cast your vote. For more information about the referendum, see the following official notice:NOR_HUMBER_FORD_STOKE_PRIOR
Polling stations are detailed on the following official notice. NOP_HUMBER_FORD_STOKE_PRIOR
In summary, these are:
Risbury Village Hall (for electors in Humber Parish)
Stoke Prior Village Hall (for electors in Ford & Stoke Prior Parish)
Polling is open on Thursday 28 July 2016 from 7.00am until 10.00pm.
The question on the ballot paper is:
Do you want Herefordshire Council to use the Neighbourhood Plan for Humber, Ford & Stoke Prior to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?
This is your Neighbourhood Plan, the result of three years’ work gathering your views, and if over half those voting vote ‘Yes’ it will set planning policy for how your neighbourhood will develop until 2031.
So we want EVERY elector to vote.
A printed copy of the final Neighbourhood Plan has been delivered to every household in the Group Parish in mid-July, together with a Covering letter to residents from the Chairman of the Pariosh Council. Further copies are available from the Clerk to the Council (01885 400696 or email clerk@hfspgroup.org.uk).
Download a copy of the Neighbourhood Plan here (this is a large file – about 6MB):
HFSP final Neighbourhood Plan illustrated
The Plan, and all associated technical documents can be found on the Herefordshire Council website pages at:
Official documents and notices about the poll can be found at:
23 May 2016: Neighbourhood Plan to go to referendum
Our Neighbourhood Plan is almost at its final stage – a referendum of local electors, who will vote on whether to approve it as local planning policy.
The independent Examiner’s report recommends that the Plan can go to referendum subject to the modifications proposed in the report. She particularly commends the consultation process for the Plan’s development.
The Examiner reviewed the Plan for consistency with national and local planning policies, and she proposed modifications to some policies to ensure this. The NDP Steering Committee met on 16 May to make the required modifications.
The central policies of the Neighbourhood Plan are broadly unchanged. However, the Examiner required some details of some policies to be deleted or re-worded where these were considered to be too restrictive on sustainable development or delivery of new housing, and therefore contrary to national planning policy.
A summary of the major modifications to the policies is available here: Summary of main modifications
The full Examiner’s report is available here: Final_Examiner_Report_HFSP_HC
The referendum will be held on Thursday 28 July 2016, during Community Week. It will be organised by Herefordshire Council, and full details of polling and how to apply for postal or proxy votes will be published by the Electoral Services department.
Notice re polling stations: NOP_HUMBER_FORD_STOKE_PRIOR
If a simple majority of those voting agree, the Plan will be adopted by Herefordshire Council as part of the local development plan, and will become local planning policy.
Before the referendum every household and business in the Group Parish will be given a copy of the final Neighbourhood Plan by the Parish Council.
10 May 2016: Neighbourhood Plan can go to referendum – Examiner’s Report
The independent Examiner’s Report on our Neighbourhood Development Plan has been received and recommends that, subject to modifications included in the report, the Plan can go to a referendum of local people.
Mrs Ann Skippers’ report makes a number of recommended modifications to the Plan to ensure it is clear and consistent with national and local planning policies. She particularly commends the consultation process which led to the Plan being developed, saying “It is clear that every effort has been made to engage the community and that this effort has been sustained over a long period of time. I am confident that the submission version of the Plan has been the result of sustained effort and consultation.”
The Examiner’s Report will be considered by a meeting of the NDP Steering Committee on Monday 16 May 2016 at 7.30pm in Risbury Village Hall.
See the NDP Steering Committee page for the agenda and the Examiner’s Report. This meeting will respond to the report, including agreeing the modifications to be made. When the modifications are agreed with Herefordshire Council, a date will be set for the referendum, and a copy of the final Plan will be distributed to every household and business in the Group Parish before the referendum.
21 January 2015: completion of pre-inspection consultation
The pre-inspection consultation finished on 20 January 2016 (see item below). The next stage of the project will be the appointment of the independent Inspector, who will examine the proposed Plan for conformity with the Core Strategy, the National Planning Policy Framework and environmental requirements. An update on the inspection will be posted here.
5 Dec 2015: Consultation on Proposed Neighbourhood Plan
Following the submission of our proposed Neighbourhood Development Plan, Herefordshire Council are now holding the second statutory consultation on the Plan. This gives everyone the opportunity to make comments on the Proposed Plan, which will then be considered by an appointed independent Inspector.
The consultation is now open, and comments should be submitted by 20 January 2016.
The Plan is on the Herefordshire Council website at:
You can also find the submitted Plan and other supporting documents further down this page.
Paper copies are also available for inspection at: Hereford Centre, Franklin House, 4 Commercial Road, Hereford HR1 2BB; Blueschool House, Blueschool Street, Hereford; and Leominster Library, 8 Buttercross, Leominster.
Representations or comments can be made by:
Website: using the on-line comment at www.herefordshire.gov.uk/neighbourhoodplanning
Email: neighbourhoodplanning@herefordshire.gov.uk
Post: Neighbourhood Planning Team, Planning Services, PO Box 230, Hereford HR1 2ZB
21 November 2015: Proposed Plan submitted
Following the public consultation on the Plan (see Consultation page) responses to all comments and amendments to the draft Plan were agreed by the NDP Steering Committee.
The amended proposed Plan, together with other documents, was approved by the Group Parish Council at its meeting on 18 November 2015 and the Council formally resolved to submit the proposed Neighbourhood Development Plan to Herefordshire Council as part of the statutory Local Plan.
You can read the Proposed Plan here: HFSP proposed Neighbourhood Plan
You can see what has changed in the Proposed Plan from the summer 2015 Draft Plan in a Schedule of Amendments to Draft Plan (Please note: this document contains a minor error in the revised eastern settlement boundary to Risbury – the correct proposed boundary is as in the main Plan document and the Risbury Policies Map below.)
There are several documents which support the Proposed Plan document:
Policies Maps:
Humber_Ford_Stoke_Prior_Policies_Map