NEIGHBOURHOOD
PLAN BOUNDARY
THE OPTIONS:
The first
key decision we have to make is about the shape of our Neighbourhood Plan
area. This is important because it will
determine who and what we have to collect information about, and who and what
we have to consider when we write our final Neighbourhood Plan policies.
The
Neighbourhood Plan Group has talked about the options, and we would really like
to know what you think about them too. Your views - along with any outside advice on
boundary implications - will be considered together and the Group will make a
recommendation to the Parish Council, who will then take the final decision.
After this
the Parish Council will send a map showing the chosen boundary, along with a
statement giving the reasons for our choice, to the Council. This will notify them and kick-start the
formal Neighbourhood Planning timetable.
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The
Neighbourhood Plan Group considered 3 main options, but discounted the first of
these.
Discounted Option: a wider ‘natural’ geographical boundary (eg a boundary that covers all of the surrounding fells)
The Group
discounted this option because ...
Ø Defining new boundaries is very
subjective – how can we know which area people think they ‘belong’ to without
further research?
Ø A new boundary would not be
‘recognised’ by others. Because of this
it would be hard to get other data for the new area, and re-cutting data to a
new boundary is expensive.
Ø And finally, including land from
other parishes could create problems for them if they wanted to do their own
Neighbourhood Plan. This is because land
can only be included once, in one Neighbourhood Plan.
This left
the following two options, which are also shown on the local area map for your consideration
...
Option 1: the existing parish boundary
Ø Using the existing parish boundary is
the default and, therefore, the simplest option under the Neighbourhood
Planning regulations.
Ø Other organisations recognise parish
boundaries, and it is easier to find additional data that is or can be cut to
this level.
Ø The Parish Council is the ’responsible
body’ in charge of Neighbourhood Planning here, and will be helping to fund the
production of the Plan in part. Because
of this it may be more ‘democratic’ to include all parish households in the
Plan area and in the community survey.
Ø Maximising the number of households
included will mean around 25% higher survey costs, and more complex survey
arrangements.
Ø If other parishes decide to do Neighbourhood
Planning, there may be an opportunity to put the Plans together to produce a
‘bigger picture’ of rural housing needs.
Option 2: a smaller boundary, drawn just around the village and its
surrounding fields
Ø We would have to justify the
selection of this new boundary, with reference to physical features on the
ground, and explain to the Council why the parish boundary has not been used.
Ø Again, a new boundary means that
other data will not be available or cannot easily be cut to meet it.
Ø Survey costs are reduced by about 25%,
and survey arrangements are simpler.
Ø This boundary may arguably produce a
closer focus on the village (depending on final survey results)
Ø However the Parish Council would need
to accept excluding some local households (who may not be considered therefore
under any Neighbourhood Plan).
Ø And we may have to justify (eg at
Examination) why ‘outlying’ parish business and housing needs have not been
incorporated.
The Boundary Maps are
on Display in The Meeting Room at Wray Institute and are also listed on the blog under Boundary Map Option 1 and Option
On the map, the blue
line shows the boundary for the Parish of Wray with
Botton.
The yellow line shows a
tighter boundary drawn around Wray village, with reference to
key physical features.
Now, using
the questions on the back of your letter, please tell us which boundary option you prefer, and post
you letter back to us at the Institute or at the Post Office.
If there
is a different, alternative boundary you think should be considered, please
tell us about it.
Thank
you.
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