A neighbourhood plan will now influence planning in an area in South Staffordshire after being voted in by residents in a referendum which was the first of its kind for the district.
Those living in the Kinver parish had the opportunity to vote on the plan in a referendum held at the Edward Marsh Centre yesterday (August 24).
With a majority ‘yes’ vote of 86.9% the plan can now be enforced.
The turnout for the referendum was 17%
Drawn up by a steering group for the parish, the community plan will now influence planning decisions in the area. It contains policies ranging from housing, sustainable design, to climate change and local green spaces. View the plan here: 1._kvnp_referendum_version_13.07.23.pdf (sstaffs.gov.uk)
The Kinver parish covers Kinver, Stourton, Iverley, and Lawnswood.
Councillor Victoria Wilson, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Business Enterprise and Community Infrastructure said ‘The parish council must be very proud to be the first in the district to get their Neighbourhood Plan across the line. It shows that local communities can have a real say in the planning for their area.’
Neighbourhood plans are a way of helping local communities to influence the planning of their local area. They are led and written by the community, but must be in line with both national, and local planning policies in their planning council’s Local Plan.
The Kinver Neighbourhood plan had been examined by an independent planning inspector prior to the referendum process.
The Kinver Neighbourhood Plan came into force following the majority vote in the referendum but is not officially made under the regulations until the decision has been agreed by the local planning authority South Staffordshire Council. The council has eight weeks from the date of the referendum to do this.