Whitchurch Neighbourhood Plan

The Whitchurch Neighbourhood Development Plan 2014-2029 was ‘made’ at Full Council on 26 October 2017. The Plan now forms part of the Development Plan for the parish and will be used to guide planning decisions in Whitchurch. Below are the final versions of:

Hard copies of these documents can be viewed at Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council Offices between the hours of 8.30am and 4.30pm Monday to Friday, and at Basingstoke Discovery Centre and Whitchurch Library at their normal opening times.

Referendum

The Referendum on the Whitchurch Neighbourhood Plan was held on 14 September 2017. A total of 92% of the voters on the day said 'Yes' to the Neighbourhood Plan. Find further information on the results of the Whitchurch Neighbourhood Plan Referendum.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council agreed, on 12 July, to proceed to a referendum on the Whitchurch Neighbourhood Development Plan, that took place on 14 September 2017. As required by the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 as amended, a Decision Statement has been published which can be found below.

In accordance with the Neighbourhood Planning (Referendum) Regulations (2012) as amended, the council has published an information statement which sets out information relating to the referendum and also the following specified documents:

Information Statement(PDF) [531 kb]

Whitchurch Neighbourhood Development Plan - as modified(PDF) [5 Mb]

Independent Examiner's report(PDF) [441 kb]

Summary of representations submitted to the independent examiner(PDF) [957 kb]

Statement (the Whitchurch Neighbourhood Development Plan Decision Statement) that the local planning authority is satisfied that the draft plan meets the basic conditions and complies with the provisions made by or under sections 38A and 38B of the 2004 A(PDF) [330 kb]

General information statement on town and country planning, neighbourhood planning and the referendum(PDF) [330 kb]

The Referendum was held on Thursday 14 September 2017. The question asked in the referendum was:

“Do you want Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council to use the neighbourhood plan for Whitchurch to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?”

The referendum area is identified on the map which is included with the information statement. The referendum area is identical to the area which has been designated as the Neighbourhood Plan area for Whitchurch.

The referendum was conducted based in accordance with procedures similar to those use at local government elections.

Examination

The Independent Examination of the Whitchurch Neighbourhood Plan commenced on 5 May 2017. The Examination was conducted by Janet Cheesley of Chec Planning Ltd. She was appointed by the borough council, in agreement with Whitchurch Town Council, having been referred to the council by the Neighbourhood Planning Independent Examiner Referral Service (NPIERS).

The Examiners final report was submitted to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and Whitchurch Town Council on 8 June 2017. The full report is set out below, along with details of relevant correspondence pertaining to the examination process.

Examiners report(PDF) [437 kb]

Clarification regarding policy HD2(PDF) [355 kb]

The Examiner recommended that, subject to a number of proposed modifications, the Plan should proceed to referendum. The Examiner also recommended that the area for the referendum be based on the designated Whitchurch Neighbourhood Area as approved by the borough council in March 2013.

Publication (Regulation 16)

The Whitchurch Neighbourhood Development Plan (WNP) was submitted to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council (BDBC) on 19 January 2017. The consultation was published on Monday 27 February 2017 for a period of six weeks. The consultation documents consisted of:

Whitchurch Neighbourhood Plan(PDF) [7 Mb]

Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment(PDF) [6 Mb]

Consultation Statement(PDF) [5 Mb]

Basic Conditions Statement(PDF) [4 Mb]

Representation form(PDF) [189 kb]

Guidance note(PDF) [226 kb]

View additional evidence base documents on the Whitchurch Neighbourhood Plan website

In addition, the plan was subject to a compliance check to ensure it complies with the relevant legislation. The borough council’s decision and completed checklist can be found below:

BDBC Whitchurch Neighbourhood Plan compliance checklist letter(PDF) [135 kb]

BDBC Whitchurch Plan compliance checklist(PDF) [346 kb]

Representations on this consultation can be viewed upon request. If you would like to view any particular representations for this consultation, please contact the Planning Policy team by emailing Local.Plan@basingstoke.gov.uk. All the representations made and the submission plan have been issued to the appointed independent Neighbourhood Plan Examiner.

Pre-submission (Regulation 14)

View details of the consultation on the Pre-Submission WNP which took place from 20 November 2015 to 8 January 2016.

Strategic Environmental Assessment and Habitats Regulations Assessment

The borough council has undertaken screening for Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA). The results of the SA/SEA and the screening report and the decision notice is available to view below:

Whitchurch Neighbourhood Plan SA/SEA(PDF) [6 Mb]

Whitchurch Neighbourhood Plan SEA and HRA Screening Report(PDF) [2 Mb]

Whitchurch Neighbourhood Plan SEA and HRA Screening Decision Notice(PDF) [152 kb]