What is an NDP?
An NDP addresses important planning, land use and environmental concerns and sets out a vision for the future of the parish.
It will plan for sustainable development, to meet local needs for houses, jobs and infrastructure and will develop policies to maintain the distinctiveness and character of the parish.
The NDP must be aligned with the Local Plan as set out by the Forest of Dean District Council but some things such as the nature and location of the housing are matters in which we can have our say.
The NDP can also designate valued green areas to help protect them from development and in general, can produce a much more detailed development policy than the District planners. That is because it is produced by people who really know the area and have time and opportunity to go into the detail. Previous local plans for towns and villages have been produced all over the country but before 2011, when the Localism Act came into being, they did not have any statutory weight.
What areas does the Newent Parish NDP cover?
Our civil parish includes Clifford’s Mesne, Boulsdon, The Scarr, Botloe’s Green, Malswick, Anthony’s Cross, Cugley and Judges Lane as well as the historic market town of Newent. Newent Town Council is the tier of local government responsible for the Parish of Newent.
How does the steering group find out what people want?
One of the most important features in the making of an NDP, is extensive public engagement. The area was officially designated in August 2018 after a week’s consultation in July established that the people who live and work here were in favour of making one. Since then we held a well-attended Public Consultation in October 2019 with widely available questionnaires. We had also started a Business and Employment Survey which was paused when Covid 19 caused lockdown. These have been restarted with questionnaires that can be accessed online. (See our News Page for the latest details of these.)
Where does the funding come from to support the NDP?
A small start-up grant was awarded initially by the Town Council and an annual budget continues to be available for items that are not covered by the main government funding. This has been awarded by Locality, the government’s arm for promoting community-led planning. Grants of up to £10K have been available for an NDP like ours over the course of its preparation. We were awarded the first tranche in September 2019. We have also been granted three packages of professional expertise to produce a Housing Needs Survey, a Master Plan outline, and a Design Code and Guidance through AECOM, Locality’s professional planning team.
Although the present government has now withdrawn all funding for NDPs, we are confident that our budget will enable us to finalise our NDP before the end of 2026.
Who is working on the Newent NDP?
The Steering Group consists of volunteers. In the early years we were assisted by an adviser provided by Gloucestershire Rural Community Council (GRCC), funded by the FODDC. We have now engaged a Planning Consultant to help write our policies. Some members are stakeholders or individual members of the community and others are town councillors. Every member of Newent Town Council is considered to be a member, according to our Standing Orders. Those who are more regularly involved or have a long-term commitment, are listed below:
STEERING GROUP MEMBERS
Current Members, in addition to all members of Newent Town Council
Gill Moseley (Cllr/Chair)
Helen Selwood
Stephen Delacourt-Smith
Tony Clifford-Winters (Cllr)
Mark Franklin (Cllr)
Sara Hulbert (Cllr)
Tish Rickard
Clare Stone (Cllr)
Andy Offord
Advisers
Lee Searles (Professional Planning Consultant)
Barbara Pond (GRCC – Senior Adviser 2021-23)
Liane James (GRCC 2020 – 2021)
Kate Baugh (GRCC 2018 -2020)
What does an NDP look like?
All completed NDPs are published online and some Steering Groups opt to produce some hard copies as well. You can view examples of ‘made’ NDPs of Longhope and Stonehouse, here.
Several others have been completed in the Forest of Dean, including Coleford, Lydney, Berry Hill, Mitcheldean and Dymock..
Interested in becoming one of the NDP Steering Group? You’re more than welcome to find out more about the group here, or get in touch via the Contact Us form for more details.