It’s just over two years since Ruddington Parish Council gave its backing to a new Ruddington Neighbourhood Plan (RNP) which, theoretically at least, gives village residents direct power to develop a shared vision for their neighbourhood and to shape the development and growth of our local area.
Since then it’s been run by a hard working group of volunteers in tandem with our Ruddington Village Plan (which was published in the summer of 2017) and has explored further areas where a Neighbourhood Plan can give communities additional influence. This includes choosing where we want new homes, shops and offices to be built, having a say on what these new buildings should look like, plus transport, traffic, business, leisure, the environment and other issues. It has already involved several public consultations and exhibitions along the way (top) as well as fact-finding walks with villagers around Ruddington (below).
The final draft Neighbourhood Plan local consultation – the penultimate one – is called a Regulation 14 which provides the documentation that’s intended to be submitted to Rushcliffe Borough Council (RBC), in accordance with the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012. A so-called “summary and signposting document” outlining the key aspects of the Ruddington Neighbourhood Plan, can be found >>HERE<<.
This six-week consultation period on this draft plan begins today (11th November 2019) and ends on 23rd December 2019. During this period you are invited to give your views on the documentation at www.ruddingtonnp.org.uk/documents via ruddingtonnp.org.uk/survey3.
Chair Paul Reedman asks: “Please find the time to look at the draft plan and complete this very important survey, as it will help to shape the final Neighbourhood Plan. It’s easy to complete as it’s just a case of offering any comments you have. And if you’re happy with what you see and don’t have any specific points to make, just tell us you like the plan. It really can be that simple.”
Meantime another public consultation event is being held at St Peter’s Rooms on Saturday 16th November from 10.00am to 2.00pm to view this draft Neighbourhood Plan. Representations are being invited on these documents, with hard copies also available to view at Ruddington Library, Jaspers Café, The Black Cat Café, The Old Bakehouse Tearoom, Ruddington Medical Centre, the Village Hall and in St Peter’s Rooms. It’s the final consultation that the Neighbourhood Plan team will conduct before RBC runs its own statutory formal consultation to the wider Borough.
Paul adds: “When the consultation has closed, the team will analyse your feedback, make any necessary revisions and move into the final stages of the Neighbourhood Plan process, culminating in a public referendum in Spring 2020.”
Unfortunately, its publication sometime next year will come too late for it to be a legally binding document in time to influence the number and location of at least 525 new houses just approved on Ruddington’s Green Belt in the Rushcliffe Local Plan Part 2. Indeed most residents and village campaign groups believe that over 300 of these dwellings are either being built in the wrong place or are not required all!
Nevertheless, the final, published Ruddington Neighbourhood Plan should eventually prove important when it comes to influencing the style and location of further development and infrastructure in and around our village beyond 2028.
{Plan photos/images courtesy of Ruddington Neighbourhood Plan}
