Since our Ruddington Village Plan was published in the summer of 2017 another hard working group of volunteers has been taking things a stage further with a Ruddington Neighbourhood Plan (RNP) to give our local community additional influence on how the village should grow and develop in the future.
Backed by Ruddington Parish Council this type of plan has more ‘teeth’ than its predecessor in determining planning policy and outcomes – such as where we’d prefer new homes, shops and offices to be built. It’s also allowed villagers to have our say on what these new buildings should look like alongside key questions on transport, traffic, business, leisure, the environment and other issues. It has already involved several public consultations and exhibitions along the way and included ‘fact finding’ walks with residents around Ruddington.
Sadly, during this time, before it could become effective, a further 588 new houses were approved on Ruddington’s Green Belt as part of ‘The Rushcliffe Local Plan Part 2’ – much to the angst of many villagers.
Nevertheless, at the end of 2019, the final draft Neighbourhood Plan six week consultation took place to provide the documentation to submit to our planning authority Rushcliffe Borough Council (RBC) in accordance with the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012. This happened in May 2020, however that’s still not the end of the story…
Although the COVID-19 outbreak delayed further progress of ‘The Plan’ earlier this year, it seems things are now moving again, and RBC’s final consultation on the plan (the so called Regulation 15) is finally underway. It began on Friday 6th November 2020 and continues until Friday 18th December 2020. Anyone who cares about influencing how Ruddington should look in the decades to come is being urged to take part. This is particularly in light of another major new housing threat to our village revealed in July.
RNP committee member Paul Reedman explains: “By now, you will probably be aware of the Greater Nottingham Strategic Plan, which includes the possibility of housing development at a further four sites in Ruddington in addition to those already approved. Whilst we all hope that this will not happen, the Neighbourhood Plan is the means by which our community has a direct impact upon any future building in Ruddington. The Plan carries weight, in law, so please don’t think that it’s not worth taking part. On the contrary, it’s vital that you do!”
You can access the Plan, and comment upon it, on the Ruddington page of Rushcliffe’s Neighbourhood Plan page HERE: https://www.rushcliffe.gov.uk/planningpolicy/neighbourhoodplanning.
This can all be done online but, if you prefer to complete a paper copy of the consultation, you can contact Ruddington Parish Council who will arrange this for you. Alternatively you can download a copy of the form to print out for anyone who wants it >>HERE<< whilst the May 2020 submission version of the Ruddington Neighbourhood Plan document can be downloaded >>HERE<<.
“Please note that paper submissions must include your name” says Paul. “Whether you comment online or on paper, you are not limited to one per household – everyone can comment if they wish. Once complete, paper copies can be submitted to John King at Rushcliffe Borough Council or be returned to the Parish Council Office and they will submit them for you.”
Paul adds: “Please find the time to take part in this Consultation. It is a vitally important contribution to the future of our village. The more people who contribute, the more representative the Neighbourhood Plan will be.”
The deadline for submissions is 5pm on Friday 18th December 2020. Please don’t miss this final chance to have your say!
