Woolpit Neighbourhood Plan
The Woolpit 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.
Woolpit NDP Addendum (Jan 2026)
Woolpit Parish Council are not undertaking a full review of their adopted plan at this time, but they have produced an addendum (see link below). It does not change any of the plan policies, but it does seek to bring some of the factual information set out in their Plan (e.g., census data) up to date. It also provides some narrative on more recent changes to planning policy at the national and district level.
Reg 20 Formal Adoption (31 Oct 2022)
In an ‘out of meeting’ decision taken on Monday 31 October 2022, Mid Suffolk District Council agreed to adopt ('make') the Woolpit NDP.
This NDP, which covers the plan period to 2036, 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 Woolpit NDP
- Read the adoption Decision Statement
- See the Action out of Meeting request
Previous stages...
Local Referendum (27 Oct 2022)
A local referendum on the Woolpit NDP was held on 27 October 2022. The question asked of those entitled to vote was: "Do you want Mid Suffolk District Council to use the Neighbourhood Plan for Woolpit to help it decide planning applications in the Neighbourhood Plan Area?"
- See the declared result (a majority yes vote)
Reg 18 Decision Statement (19 Oct 2020)
On 5 October 2020, Mid Suffolk’s Cabinet committee agreed that, subject to modification, the Woolpit NDP should proceed to a local referendum.
Reg 17 Independent Examination (Final Report - 3 Aug 2020)
Mid Suffolk District Council appointed Janet Cheesley BA (Hons) DipTP MRTPI to carry out an independent examination of the Woolpit NDP. The examination included a focused consultation exercise on proposed significant modifications to the Plan.
On 3 August 2020, the Examiner issued her final report. It recommended that subject to modification, the Woolpit NDP would meet the basic condition tests and that the Plan could proceed to a local referendum.
Reg 17 Proposed Significant Mods consultation (June - July 2020)
A focused consultation on proposed significant modifications to the Woolpit NDP took place between 22 June and 13 July 2020. The relevant issues were first identified in an Open Letter to the Parish Council dated 4 March 2020 and were re-confirmed in a letter dated 24 June 2020. Both letters are included in the Examination Correspondence Document
The proposed significant modifications included the deletion of policies WPT1 (Spatial Strategy) and WPT5 (Housing allocation on land north of the Primary School) from the plan. It was also proposed that policies WPT3 (Land south of Old Stowmarket Road) and WPT4 (Land east of Green Lane) could remain, but as existing commitments rather than allocations.
Copies of the written representations received on these matters were sent to the Examiner.
Reg 16 Submission Consultation (16 Dec 2019 – 7 Feb 2020)
The submission draft Woolpit NDP was made available for public consultation between 16 December 2019 and 7 February 2020. The Parish Council (the qualifying body) had formally submitted the following documents:
- A Map identifying the Woolpit NDP Area
- The submission draft Woolpit NDP (Oct 2019)
- A Consultation Statement
- A Basic Conditions Statement
- A copy of the SEA Determination Notice confirming that this Plan is unlikely to have significant environmental effects (see further below)
- A number of other evidence documents and studies (Note: A full list of these is being reproduced)
An assessment on whether this NDP met the basic condition tests formed part of the examination. At the time of submission, our initial checks suggested that the relevant procedural requirements had been met. See our Regulation 15 Checklist
Respondents were also reminded that their comments would be forwarded to the examiner and, with the exception of personal details, be published on this website. The Parish Council were also given the opportunity to respond to new issues raised at this stage.
SEA/HRA Screening & Determination (May 2019)
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 report and determination notices are published below:
- Read the Woolpit NDP SEA/HRA Screening Report (Place Services, April 2019)
- Read the Woolpit NDP SEA Determination Notice (May 2019)
- Read the Woolpit NDP HRA Determination Notice (May 2019)
Reg 14 Pre-submission Consultation (1 Mar to 19 Apr 2019)
Consultation on the pre-submission draft Woolpit NDP by the Parish Council closed on 19 April 2019.