Site Allocations Update Based on Discussion With AECOM
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23 AUGUST 2018 SITE ALLOCATION UPDATE
Today we had a telephone conversation with AECOM, the company that will independently assess all sites that are proposed in response to our Call for Sites. They consider our assessment is complex, which simply means they will spend more time on it than a simpler case. Later today they will inform Locality (the Government body that administers this) of our conversation with a recommendation to award us a technical support package. In AECOM experience we can then expect Locality to let us know in 1-2 weeks whether our application has been approved. At that time AECOM will appoint a consultant to do our assessments, and that person will have 30 days to get in touch with us. We will then supply them with all the necessary information and agree with them the criteria to be used for the assessments - on those they confirmed we can add our own local criteria to their standard list. The work won't start till the village character study and call for sites are complete; so probably around the start of November. AECOM advise they usually allow 3 months (we had previously guessed one month, so that will add time to the schedule we outlined at last week's village presentation) for a full assessment, but obviously each one varies.
23 AUGUST 2018 SITE ALLOCATION UPDATE
Today we had a telephone conversation with AECOM, the company that will independently assess all sites that are proposed in response to our Call for Sites. They consider our assessment is complex, which simply means they will spend more time on it than a simpler case. Later today they will inform Locality (the Government body that administers this) of our conversation with a recommendation to award us a technical support package. In AECOM experience we can then expect Locality to let us know in 1-2 weeks whether our application has been approved. At that time AECOM will appoint a consultant to do our assessments, and that person will have 30 days to get in touch with us. We will then supply them with all the necessary information and agree with them the criteria to be used for the assessments - on those they confirmed we can add our own local criteria to their standard list. The work won't start till the village character study and call for sites are complete; so probably around the start of November. AECOM advise they usually allow 3 months (we had previously guessed one month, so that will add time to the schedule we outlined at last week's village presentation) for a full assessment, but obviously each one varies.
Archived news
01 November 2017 - Parish Council approves consultancy review of the plan
At a special Parish Council meeting held on 20 October the work group received unanimous approval from Councillors to:
1. Postpone the Regulation 14 consultation in order to:
2. Award a consultancy contract and apply for a government grant to fund that;
(we'll announce details of who that consultant will be once we've informed those who offered their services of our decision)
3. Release the draft version of the Plan for review by our consultant; and
4. Publish the draft Plan on this website
1. Postpone the Regulation 14 consultation in order to:
2. Award a consultancy contract and apply for a government grant to fund that;
(we'll announce details of who that consultant will be once we've informed those who offered their services of our decision)
3. Release the draft version of the Plan for review by our consultant; and
4. Publish the draft Plan on this website
08 November 2017 - consultant appointed
After carefully considering two offers, and discussing them with the Parish Council, we have awarded a contract to Modicum Planning to undertake a comprehensive review of the Plan and provide us with recommendations and advice on how to improve it and help ensure it will gain approval. The review will start as soon as we receive a grant to fund it from Locality, the government body that deals with such things. The grant application has been submitted and all being well, we expect to receive the funds by the second week of December.
05 DECEMBER 2017 - government grant confirmed
After a rather tedious application process, today we had the very good news that we have been awarded a government grant of £7,000 to fund remaining work to prepare the Neighbourhood Plan. This will be spent primarily on specialist reviews and advice to improve the Plan and on publicity and village events to tie in with the formal public consultation.
Now the grant has been confirmed, our consultant, Rachel Hogger of Modicum Planning, will start her review of the four Plan documents next week.
Should more funding be needed, having received this grant we are now eligible to receive an additional grant of £4,500 from Breckland Council.
Now the grant has been confirmed, our consultant, Rachel Hogger of Modicum Planning, will start her review of the four Plan documents next week.
Should more funding be needed, having received this grant we are now eligible to receive an additional grant of £4,500 from Breckland Council.
08 DECEMBER 2017 - local plan submitted for examination
Breckland Council has published its Local Plan for examination by a Government inspector. This is an important stage as it means the Local Plan can be taken into some account when deciding planning applications and appeals. At first glance there are no significant changes affecting Saham Toney, but we will make a thorough review in due course. Should you wish to see the documents Breckland have submitted, they can be found on Breckland's site here
15 December 2017 - village presentation and exhibition
Last night villagers attended a presentation and exhibition of the Plan at the Community Centre and gave us some helpful feedback. You can download the presentation slides and the exhibition posters here
28 DECEMBER 2017 - CONSULTANT'S REVIEW REPORT RECEIVED
Just before Christmas we received our consultant's report following her review of the Plan. It's comprehensive and logical and raises a number of good points. Between the turkey sandwiches and leftover mince pies, we'll be going through the report to understand it better. Then on 5th January we'll meet with our consultant, Rachel Hogger of Modicum Planning, to discuss the issues she's raised with the aim of deciding more precisely what we need to change in the Plan. Watch this space for further news on that.
05 January 2018 - post-review meeting with our consultant
Earlier today we met with our consultant, Rachel Hogger, to discuss her review of the Plan. We told you last time what a thorough job she had done and we spent close on 5 hours going through her most important recommendations. It was a very constructive and productive meeting. With face to face explanations from Rachel added to the detailed document she had already provided, it was easy to see how her suggested changes will strengthen the Plan and improve its chances of being accepted. The inevitable consequence is quite a lot more work to achieve that, including some new research, but that's what we hired Rachel to advise us on, and it's a challenge we'll face positively, knowing it will be worth it. Rather than try to report every aspect of the review, for now we'll just say there's nothing that will change the overall intent of the Plan, and the policies will remain strict. Now we need to start the update then once we get our teeth into the first few policies we'll be able to give you a better idea of the timescale to complete that. But it's fair to say it's unlikely we'll be able to publish the new version for consultation in January - we should probably stop predicting dates as every time we do a good reason to postpone things always seems to come along :-)
22 january 2018 - Policy update following consultant's review
Since the meeting with our consultant two weeks ago we have been updating the policies to incorporate Rachel's recommendations. There have been phone calls and emails to clarify points and to go through in more depth those topics we didn't have enough time for at the meeting.
As a result of Rachel's review we have:
Added a new policy on housing mix; at last allowing us to address the question of housing priority for locals;
Split both policy 4 and policy 7 into three separate policies, to make them easier to follow and implement;
Simplified the gap to Watton to just one protected zone;
Deleted the golf course and Wispy Meadows from the local green space policy;
Deleted policy 9 on developer contributions because Rachel advised it was unnecessary.
In parallel we have arranged a meeting with Breckland Planning next Monday, 29 January, when we will present the revised policies to them and discuss them in the hope of reaching a broad consensus in advance of the public consultation. We'll let you know the outcome here.
As a result of Rachel's review we have:
Added a new policy on housing mix; at last allowing us to address the question of housing priority for locals;
Split both policy 4 and policy 7 into three separate policies, to make them easier to follow and implement;
Simplified the gap to Watton to just one protected zone;
Deleted the golf course and Wispy Meadows from the local green space policy;
Deleted policy 9 on developer contributions because Rachel advised it was unnecessary.
In parallel we have arranged a meeting with Breckland Planning next Monday, 29 January, when we will present the revised policies to them and discuss them in the hope of reaching a broad consensus in advance of the public consultation. We'll let you know the outcome here.
30 january 2018 - MEETING WITH BRECKLAND COUNCIL PLANNING TEAM
We met with 4 members of Breckland Council's planning team yesterday to present our revised policies and discuss them. The meeting was constructive and their comments fairly minor. We were complemented on being the first neighbourhood plan group in Breckland to give such a presentation, and we think it will stand us in good stead when they review the Plan during the formal consultation period.
A few points are dependent on how Breckland's Local Plan fares when it undergoes its examination. That will take place in April / May and will be followed by a 6 week consultation on any significant changes the examiner requires. Since no-one can anticipate what, if any changes the examiner might require, there is nothing we can do about that yet, but we will need to wait for that information before publishing our second and final consultation document later this year.
We will now finalise the revised policies and incorporate them into the overall plan, and in parallel bring all our evidence up to date with them, and then we should at last be ready to publish the whole thing for all villagers to give their views on.
A few points are dependent on how Breckland's Local Plan fares when it undergoes its examination. That will take place in April / May and will be followed by a 6 week consultation on any significant changes the examiner requires. Since no-one can anticipate what, if any changes the examiner might require, there is nothing we can do about that yet, but we will need to wait for that information before publishing our second and final consultation document later this year.
We will now finalise the revised policies and incorporate them into the overall plan, and in parallel bring all our evidence up to date with them, and then we should at last be ready to publish the whole thing for all villagers to give their views on.
11 February 2018 CONSULTATION ON THE PLAN COMING SOON
Subject to Parish Councillor approval at their meeting on 5 March, the first formal consultation on the Neighbourhood Plan will begin on Monday 12th March and run for 6 weeks from that date. It will be open to all who live, work or run a business in the Parish.
The full Plan and its supporting documents will be available on this site for download as will an online questionnaire and comments form. More details to follow as we approach the start of the consultation.
The full Plan and its supporting documents will be available on this site for download as will an online questionnaire and comments form. More details to follow as we approach the start of the consultation.
06 MARCH 2018 Plan submission & HEALTH CHECK APPROVED BY PARISH COUNCIL
At their monthly meeting yesterday evening the Parish Council gave its approval for the first formal consultation on the Neighbourhood Plan to begin on Monday 12th March and to run for 6 weeks from that date. It will be open to all who live, work or run a business in the Parish.
The full Plan and its supporting documents will be available on this site for download as will an online questionnaire and comments form.
Councillors also approved the award of contracts for an independent examiner to make a "health-check" of the Plan and its supporting documents, and for a landscape consultant to verify the communal village views we have designated as protected; and also for us to apply to Breckland Council for a grant of £4500.
As well as uploading everything to this site we will be having a number of paper copies printed that you will be able to borrow on request or read at one of the "drop-in" sessions, the first of which will be at Broom Hall on Saturday 17th March, starting at 1.00 pm; with 4 more sessions to follow over the 6 week consultation period. Shortly you will see posters around the village and over the next week or so an information leaflet will be delivered to every home. On Monday 12th we will put up a formal announcement around the village.
You can find out more from the information leaflet or by getting in touch with us.
The full Plan and its supporting documents will be available on this site for download as will an online questionnaire and comments form.
Councillors also approved the award of contracts for an independent examiner to make a "health-check" of the Plan and its supporting documents, and for a landscape consultant to verify the communal village views we have designated as protected; and also for us to apply to Breckland Council for a grant of £4500.
As well as uploading everything to this site we will be having a number of paper copies printed that you will be able to borrow on request or read at one of the "drop-in" sessions, the first of which will be at Broom Hall on Saturday 17th March, starting at 1.00 pm; with 4 more sessions to follow over the 6 week consultation period. Shortly you will see posters around the village and over the next week or so an information leaflet will be delivered to every home. On Monday 12th we will put up a formal announcement around the village.
You can find out more from the information leaflet or by getting in touch with us.
26 March 2018 drop-in Sessions
We are one third of the way through the 6 week public consultation on the Plan and have held 2 drop-in sessions. There will be 2 more of those at Broom Hall (on 7th and 14th April at 1.00 pm) and another at Penny's Tearoom on 6th April starting at 2.30 pm.
A meeting with George Freeman planned for earlier in March had to be cancelled due to the snow we had then, but has nor been rearranged for Friday 20 April. The meeting will allow the work group to raise a number of issues and concerns with George, who is championing neighbourhood planning at Westminster and has been supportive of our efforts to date.
This morning a professional landscape consultant will be visiting the village to assess the public views the Plan designates as protected. When we receive her report we'll let you know the results here.
Meanwhile please remember to complete the consultation questionnaire. The more villager support we have, the easier it should be to rebuff any negative comments from Breckland Council or others.
A meeting with George Freeman planned for earlier in March had to be cancelled due to the snow we had then, but has nor been rearranged for Friday 20 April. The meeting will allow the work group to raise a number of issues and concerns with George, who is championing neighbourhood planning at Westminster and has been supportive of our efforts to date.
This morning a professional landscape consultant will be visiting the village to assess the public views the Plan designates as protected. When we receive her report we'll let you know the results here.
Meanwhile please remember to complete the consultation questionnaire. The more villager support we have, the easier it should be to rebuff any negative comments from Breckland Council or others.
wayland news articles MARCH & APRIL 2018
| wayland_news_article_march_2018.pdf |
| wayland_news_apr_18.pdf |
19 APRIL 2018 BRECKLAND LOCAL PLAN EXAMINATION UNDERWAY
The Breckland Local Plan is being examined by an independent Government appointed inspector, who will decide if it is "sound" and if any changes are required before it can be approved. Hearings started at the Council's Dereham office on Tuesday 17th April and will continue at intervals on 12 separate days over a 8 week period. Chris Blow is participating in all hearing sessions that are relevant to our own plan. The first two of those which were on 18th and 19th April, dealt with the methods used by Breckland to calculate its overall housing need, the supply of land for housing and its deliverability and viability. Chris is able to raise points to challenge and clarify the Local Plan. Although the examiner will not publish his report until some time after the completion of all the hearings, and meanwhile gives nothing away, Chris hopes to get an early idea of what may change in the Local Plan and how in turn that might affect the Neighbourhood Plan.
19 April 2018 CONSULTATION PERIOD EXTENDED BY ONE WEEK!
With less than 2 working days left till the consultation closing date, Breckland Planning department today asked us for an extension of time to complete their comments.
We have agreed to a one week extension, so the consultation will now close at midnight on Sunday 29th April.
Please use this extra opportunity to complete the consultation questionnaire and / or click on the "I support the Plan " button. The more villager support we have, the easier it should be to rebuff any negative comments from Breckland Council or others.
We have agreed to a one week extension, so the consultation will now close at midnight on Sunday 29th April.
Please use this extra opportunity to complete the consultation questionnaire and / or click on the "I support the Plan " button. The more villager support we have, the easier it should be to rebuff any negative comments from Breckland Council or others.
20 April 2018 WORK GROUP AND PC CHAIRMAN MEET GEORGE FREEMAN MP
We met with George Freeman MP today to discuss some of the challenges we face with the Plan and our mutual dissatisfaction with the planning system as a whole. As well as giving his support for our plan, George put forward some interesting ideas on how to solve those general problems. He is very supportive of localism and clearly has a real enthusiasm to improve things in the area. Unlike many others in central and local government he recognises that a different planning approach is needed in rural as opposed to urban areas. George would like to see places that have a neighbourhood plan exempted from the consequences of the 5 year land supply rule - which can mean additional houses have to be accepted regardless of a plan, just because Breckland as a whole isn't building enough houses. Since that's a big threat to our plan we're 100% with George on that, and will be writing to the Government to tell them so.
From left to right: Brian Hinkins; Chris Darge, Brian Mitchell, George Freeman MP, Chris Blow, Andrew Walmsley
Below you can read the letter George wrote to us after the meeting, together with the briefing note we sent him in advance.
Below you can read the letter George wrote to us after the meeting, together with the briefing note we sent him in advance.
| briefing_notes_for_meeting_stnp_-_g_freeman_mp_20apr2018.pdf |
| letter_from_george_freeman_24apr2018.pdf |
15 MAY 2018: PRIZE DRAW WINNERS ANNOUNCED
At yesterday evening's Parish Council meeting the Chairman, Brian Hinkins made the draw which was open to all who responded to the recent public consultation on the Plan. The lucky winners were:
1st prize, £50: Laurence Peters
2nd prize, £25: Anna Bayley
3rd prize, £10: Matthew Taylor
The winners have been informed by email and will receive their prizes from the Parish Clerk over the next few days
1st prize, £50: Laurence Peters
2nd prize, £25: Anna Bayley
3rd prize, £10: Matthew Taylor
The winners have been informed by email and will receive their prizes from the Parish Clerk over the next few days
7th AUgust 2018 New work approved by parish council
At yesterday evening's Parish Council meeting we were given approval to go ahead with the following important new pieces of work:
A Village Character Assessment
A Village Design Guide
The allocation of sites in the Plan
A Village Character Assessment
A Village Design Guide
The allocation of sites in the Plan
15th AUGUST 2018 VILLAGE PRESENTATION
We gave a presentation at the WCCC yesterday evening, to tell villagers what we've been doing over recent months, and to explain two new important pieces of work we're about to undertake: a village character assessment and the allocation of sites in the Plan
You can see the presentation slides and speaker's notes, together with a message from George Freeman MP Village Presentation 14th August 2018 here
You can see the presentation slides and speaker's notes, together with a message from George Freeman MP Village Presentation 14th August 2018 here