Formal ‘making’ of the Wooler Neighbourhood Plan
Following the successful referendum, the Wooler Neighbourhood Plan was formally ‘made’ at a meeting of the Authority on 15th December 2021.
Now that the neighbourhood plan is formally ‘made’, it becomes part of the statutory development plan. Consequently, decisions on whether or not to grant planning permission in the Wooler Neighbourhood Area will need to be made in accordance with the plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise.
A decision statement confirming that the Plan has been made and brought into legal force has now been published. This is available via the link below:
Decision Statement
The Wooler Neighbourhood Plan and policies maps can be viewed by clicking on the links below:
Wooler Neighbourhood Plan – Made Version
Wooler Neighbourhood Plan – Made Version Policies Map
Wooler Neighbourhood Plan – Made Version Policies Map Inset
In line with the requirements of the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004, the Council has prepared a Regulation 16 Adoption Statement for the Wooler Neighbourhood Plan.
Referendum
Northumberland County Council, as lead authority, has considered each of the recommendations made by the independent examiner and has agreed to accept the recommendations. This action has been agreed with Wooler Parish Council and the Northumberland National Park Authority.
Considering COVID-19 and updated government regulations the Wooler Neighbourhood Plan, as modified, will now proceed to a local referendum on 10 June 2021. The Plan will now be given significant weight in decision making.
The Referendum version of the Plan and related documents are available below:
Independent Examination
The independent examination of the Wooler Neighbourhood Plan has been completed. The report of the Independent Examiner was published on 26 May 2020.
Click here to view the report following Independent Examination
The publicity period for the Submission Draft Wooler Neighbourhood Plan ended on Monday 30 March 2020. Rosemary Kidd was appointed to carry out the independent examination of the draft Plan. The examination began on Friday 20 March 2020.
Northumberland County Council, Wooler Parish Council and the Northumberland National Park Authority prepared responses to the Independent Examiner’s Questions and Clarification note. These responses can be viewed below:
Area Designation
Northumberland National Park Authority (NNPA) has designated the Wooler Neighbourhood Area for the purposes of Neighbourhood Planning under Section 61G(1) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended). The preparation of a Neighbourhood Development Plan will be steered by Wooler Parish Council.
The Authority’s decision only relates to the part of the Neighbourhood Area which is within the National Park boundary. The remaining part of the Neighbourhood Area lies within the administrative area of Northumberland County Council and the decision to designate that part of the area has been made by that Authority.
The application letters and maps can be viewed below:
Documents relating to the neighbourhood area designation can be viewed below:
Further information on the draft Neighbourhood Development Plan and how it is progressing can be found on the Wooler Neighbourhood Plan website at: http://www.woolerneighbourhoodplan.org/