Nine out of ten residents in Histon & Impington have endorsed the Neighbourhood Plan drawn up by the Parish Council.
The Plan sets out a framework for future development of the village. By voting overwhelmingly at last week’s referendum to adopt it, the community has secured the formal assurance that South Cambridgeshire District Council planners will take local wishes into consideration when they decide on planning applications.
Over half of residents eligible to vote – households in the parish that are north of the A14 – did so. This was slightly higher than the turnout in Cottenham, which also voted to adopt its Neighbourhood Plan, but with a marginally smaller majority.
The Parish Council has said a “huge thank you” to everyone who voted to adopt the plan, which the Planning Committee can now refer to in their responses to proposals for complex large developments in the village, and it will help them engage constructively with developers.
A working document
Although the Neighbourhood Plan provides a solid baseline, it can still be revised and updated as the village’s needs and circumstances change, and the Parish Council intends to keep evolving the plan via future editions.
Already on the horizon are the Government’s plans for changing the regulation of the planning system, and this could lead to major changes in the Local Plan – the overarching framework that covers the whole of South Cambridgeshire until 2031.
The Parish Council has already started to put together a team to take forward new ideas and is keen for more people to join.
Chair of the Parish Council, Denis Payne, believes tackling environmental issues could be part of a first revision, looking more closely at sustainability, biodiversity, climate change adaptations.
“I think we should also be looking at other Neighbourhood Plans,” he said. “For example, Hailsham has just approved a plan that contains policies supporting a ‘10-minute town’ – where everywhere is accessible within a 10-minute walk or cycle ride. Our focus on 800m is close to that, but we may want to refine it and look at more walking and cycling improvements.”
Revising the Plan will involve the same process as developing the original one – listening to the community, producing a draft for consultation, reviewing the responses and checking that the agreed version matches with the Local Plan.
“It won’t be a quick process,” Denis explained, but hopefully it will be much quicker than this first one, which has been delayed by a year due to Covid.
The Parish Council would be delighted to hear from any resident interested in contributing to revising the Neighbourhood Plan. Email np@hisimp.net for more information.