Walsham le Willows Neighbourhood Plan
The Walsham le Willows Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) has been prepared by the Parish Council and local community and will be used to help guide and shape future development in the parish.
Reg 20 Formal adoption (24 Nov 2023)
In an ‘out of meeting’ decision taken on 24 November 2023 Mid Suffolk District Council agreed to adopt ('make') the Walsham le Willows NDP.
This NDP, which covers the plan period to 2037, now forms part of the development plan and will be used to help determine planning applications in the parish unless material considerations indicate otherwise.
- Read the adopted version of Walsham le Willows NDP
- Read the adoption Decision Statement
- See the 'out of meeting' request
Supporting Evidence
The following documents provide supporting evidence for the adopted NDP:
- Design Guidance & Codes document (AECOM, Oct 2023)
- Non-designated Heritage Assessment (Apr 2023)
- Housing Needs Assessment Report (AECOM, March 2022)
- Walsham le Willows Data Profile (Jan 2022)
Previous stages...
Local Referendum (21 Nov 2023)
A local referendum on the Walsham le Willows NDP took place on Tuesday 21 November 2023.
The question asked of those entitled to vote was: “Do you want Mid Suffolk District Council to use the Neighbourhood Plan for Walsham le Willows to help it decide planning applications in the Neighbourhood Area?”
- See the Declared Result (a majority yes vote)
Reg 18 Exam Report Decision Statement (22 Aug 2023)
New procedures, agreed in September 2021, mean that a NDP can now be advance to a referendum without Cabinet approval where there is no objection to implementing the Examiner's recommendations. That applies in this case, and the decision is confirmed through publication of the following statement:
Reg 17 Independent Examination (Final Report 18 Aug 2023)
Mid Suffolk District Council appointed Janet Cheesley BA (Hons) DipTP MRTPI to carry out an independent examination of the Walsham le Willows NDP.
On 18 August 2023, the Examiner issued her final report. It recommends that, subject to modification, this NDP meets the basic conditions and that it should proceed to a local referendum.
- Read the Walsham le Willows NDP Exam Report (18 Aug 2023)
- Read the Examination Correspondence document
Reg 16 Submission consultation (5 June to 21 July 2023)
The submission draft Walsham le Willows NDP was made available for public consultation between 5 June and 21 July 2023. The Parish Council (as the qualifying body) had formally submitted the following documents:
- A Map identifying the NDP Area
- The submission draft Walsham le Willows NDP 2023 – 2037 (Note: This is a large, 20Mb file)
- A Consultation Statement
- A Basic Conditions Statement
- Copies of the SEA and HRA Screening Reports and Determination Notices (see further below)
- A number of supporting documents (now published above with the adopted NDP)
N.b. A Design Guidance document (March 2022) was also submitted at this stage. Modifications to this are discussed in the Examiners Report. To avoid confusion, only the post-exam version is published with the adopted NDP.
An assessment on how this NDP met the basic conditions test formed part of the examination. Our initial check suggested that the relevant procedural requirements had been met at this stage. See our Regulation 15 Checklist.
Respondents were also reminded that their comments would be forwarded to the independent examiner and, with the exception of personal contact details, be published on this website.
SEA/HRA Screening and Determination (Jan 2023)
The pre-submission draft NDP was screened to determine whether a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and or a Habitats Assessment (HRA) were required. Both were 'screened-out'. The relevant reports and determination notices are published below:
- Read the Walsham le Willows NDP SEA Screening Opinion (LUC, Nov 2022)
- Read the Walsham le Willows NDP SEA Determination Notice (Jan 2023)
- Read the Walsham le Willows NDP HRA Screening Report (LUC, Nov 2022)
- Read the Walsham le Willows NDP HRA Determination Notice (Jan 2023)
Reg 14 Pre-Submission Consultation (17 Oct to 2 Dec 2022)
Consultation on the pre-submission draft NDP by the parish council ended on 2 December 2022.