Following the referendum held on the 6th May, the Crudwell Neighbourhood Plan has passed with the following result posted on Wiltshire Council’s website 9th May at: https://elections.wiltshire.gov.uk/Home/Division/5673
Yes 450 / No 83
The Plan will now be ‘made’, and become part of Wiltshire Council’s Local Plan.
We would like to thank all Crudwell residents who have helped with the plan, including the Steering Group members, over forty focus group members, our Parish Councillors, our local businesses and our retained planning consultant who has been funded by Government grants and by the Parish Council. We have also had excellent support from our link officer and the Neighbourhood Planning team at Wiltshire Council. And last but by no means least of course we thank the many Crudwell parishioners who have given their time generously during our consultation, helped in countless other ways and of course have voted in the Referendum.
While 450 parishioners (84% of those who voted and 50% of those on the electoral register) accepted that the plan is in the best interests of Crudwell we do understand that some of you are unhappy with the prospect of development in Tuners Lane. We can assure you that all views have been taken into account throughout, but at the end of the day we are required to have development of 25 houses and the Tuners Lane site, as one of only two sites which were deliverable by 2026, was chosen as demonstrably the more sustainable site in terms of access to facilities and traffic management. Included in the scope of the work are footway and parking improvements for Tuners Lane, funding for infrastructure including the school and possibly other village benefits.
The Community Liaison Group membership will include Tuners Lane residents and our flood warden. Working with the Parish Council and the flood warden we shall engage with Wessex Water in order that they take account for and remedy the existing flooding and sewage effluent episodes, which occur with heavy rainfall. The developers have to demonstrate that the development itself improves the current water run off from the site and does not cause flooding elsewhere but we do understand your concerns.
The need for a Neighbourhood Plan arose from discussions at a community gathering at the Mayfield Hotel in 2017, attended by over 40 residents, following which the Parish Council endorsed the idea and appointed a Steering Group to undertake the work. Since then Steering Group members, supported by 40 other local volunteers, have run public meetings, surveys, three major statutory consultations, gathered evidence as members of one of four thematic working groups, and organised 4 main exhibitions where you were invited to share your views.
We believe that the policies in the Plan, which have been designed with your input and requirements from our consultations, will facilitate the sustainable and scalable development of Crudwell through till 2026 and lay sound foundations for the future. Key to this are both our new Design Guide; to ensure that new buildings are in harmony with the village and street scene; and our unique Community Liaison Group. This body, comprising Steering Group members, Parish Councillors and residents will work with the site promoters to develop and agree details of a Tuners Lane planning application which will deliver high quality, well designed and realistically affordable houses. This will in turn lead to the tendering and appointment of a building firm to complete the development by 2026.
Many thanks again to all who have helped to make this happen.
Cllr Roy F Lambley; Secretary
Sian Burke Murphy; Chair
For CrudwellNeighbourhood Plan Steering Group