FOXTON NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN

The 2011 Localism Act has given communities the right to draw up a Neighbourhood Development Plan. This right is aimed at giving local communities genuine opportunities to influence the future of the places where they live. Decisions on planning applications must take account of neighbourhood plans.

Following a considerable amount of community consultation, the first Foxton Neighbourhood Plan was 'made' by Harborough District Council on 27 January 2017 following a successful local referendum. However, the Plan is over four years old and we have decided to review and update it to take account of the latest national planning advice, the adoption of the Harborough Local Plan in April 2019 and to respond to some of the planning decisions Harborough District Council has made in the last few years.

A pre-submission consultation period on the proposed, reviewed Neighbourhood Plan for Foxton ran from Monday 14 September to Monday 2 November 2020. A summary of the Draft Plan was delivered to all premises within the Parish.

All comments received on the Pre-Submission Draft Neighbourhood Plan have been considered by Foxton Parish Council and used to amend the draft Plan. The Plan will now be submitted to Harborough District Council for publication and a further six-week public consultation will take place before it is sent to an Independent Examiner.

The Parish Council has concluded that some material changes to the Neighbourhood Plan are required but the broad nature of the Plan should not change.

These modifications are incorporated into the Submission Draft version of the Foxton Neighbourhood Development Plan. The main changes are:

• Revisions to Policies F1 (Countryside), F5 (Ecology and Biodiversity), F12 (Housing Provision), F13 (Windfall Housing), F15 (Housing Mix);
• Deletion of Policies concerning the development of Fisher's Farm, North Lane and the development of land at Middle Street and Vicarage Drive, as both sites now have planning permission;
• The deletion of the proposed allocation of some 0.08 hectares of land at the junction of Vicarage Drive and Hog Lane, for housing development for up to three dwellings. It was clear that this proposal no longer had community support in large part due to the scale of development that is already taking place in the village. Furthermore, it is not clear that the landowner wants to develop the site;
• New policies concerning non-designated heritage assets of archaeological interest and car parking; and
• Revised definition of affordable housing.

Foxton Parish Council has approved the Draft Ringstead Neighbourhood Plan for submission to Harborough District Council in accordance with Regulation 15 of the Neighbourhood Planning General Regulations 2012 (as amended). The Draft Neighbourhood Plan has been submitted along with a Basic Conditions Statement, Consultation Statement and a Modifications Statement.