NORTHAM PLAN WINS LANDSLIDE VOTE’
Northam Neighbourhood Plan was been overwhelmingly backed by voters in a Referendum on Thursday 20th August.With over 12,000 residents, Northam Parish is the biggest area in northern Devon to hold a Neighbourhood Plan referendum.
Of 2356 votes cast 2188 supported the Plan and 165 voted No. (There were 3 spoilt papers).Turnout was 22.3 per cent. Councillors, friends and supporters, some of whom had worked for several years on the project, greeted the results with a round of applause.
A neighbourhood plan is a set of policies that can shape planning decisions for the area. The wide-ranging Northam Plan consists of 21 planning policies covering community centres, housing, parking, local green spaces, protection of countryside between settlements, valued views, nature areas, heritage sites and footpaths. It also supports local business, tourism and maritime industries, especially Appledore Shipyard.
The Qualifying Body for the Plan was Northam Town Council and the Plan was produced by a group of councillors and community volunteers. Over nine years they managed four public consultations with numerous community events, two independent health checks and an independent examination,
Now the result is confirmed Torridge District Council will ‘adopt’ the Northam Neighbourhood Plan and use it to make planning decisions in Northam Parish.
Councillor Peter Hames, Chair of the Northam Neighbourhood Plan Advisory Group, said: ‘The referendum result is a heartening validation of the hard work that councillors and community members have put in to the production of the Plan. We now look forward to its policies helping to shape a better future for our area.’
For more information: Contact Councillor Newman-McKie councillor.newman-mckie@northam.gov.uk and Councillor Hames councillor.hames@northam.gov.uk