THE Alvechurch Parish Neighbourhood Plan has been given the green light to go out to public referendum to receive the final seal of approval from residents.
The plan, nearly six years in the making, will ensure that both developers and the district council will have to take heed of it before pressing ahead with any future developments within the parish.
“This is a significant document – it means that if the majority says yes in the referendum the plan gains the status of a formal legal document,” said Adrian Smith, chair of Alvechurch Parish Neighbourhood Plan.
“It means that all future developers will have to go along with what is in the plan and consult to make sure their plans conform with what is in our Neighbourhood Plan.
“Without it we would just have to rely on the local authority plan which covers the whole district rather than the local elements that concern residents.”
The referendum, which will be held on January 10, will have a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ verdict on whether the Neighbourhood Plan should be adopted.
“Between 2023 and 2030 Bromsgrove has to meet its targets of some 2,400 new homes and it has said some green belt land around Alvechurch will have to be released to support a proportion of that number.
“With our Neighbourhood Plan in place we can support and advise where those houses should be located, rather than just leave it for the local authority to have the final say,” said Adrian.
“The plan goes further: It features 28 policies covering everything from controlling the visual impact of any development, protecting our historic sites and boundaries that include medieval parks – and sites of special scientific interest.
“It’s a great achievement for Alvechurch Parish to have completed such a huge task: a planning document of 118 pages, 48,000 words and seven other associated documents, that’s taken six years to finish, not bad for a group of unpaid volunteers!”
Visit https://alvechurchparishplan.org/ for more information.
