Have your say about Audlem and its future

Neighbourhood Planning: A reminder that Audlem Parish Council has called a meeting on Thursday 10 July at 7pm in the Public Hall to explain Neighbourhood Planning.

This is a legally binding community-led process involving consultation with residents of all ages and areas of the village with the aim of achieving a consensus on potential sites for future development.

The Plan may also include design, employment and infrastructure requirements to support future growth. Whilst the Neighbourhood Plan has to be led by the Parish Council, a Steering group of residents will be needed to drive the project forward and ensure that all ages and areas of the village have their say in the process.

The Plan can take up to two years to complete or there is potentially a Cheshire East Council led initiative for a fast- track Plan. However we are still awaiting confirmation that this will have the same statutory weight as the already-laid down process.

At the end of the consultation responses are analysed and the Neighbourhood Plan is drafted. It outlines what the village wants for the future with policies clarifying and underpinning these requirements.

This Plan is submitted to Cheshire East Council for their ratification. It is then sent to an independent examiner for analysis. Once it has gone through this process Cheshire East will arrange a referendum. This is exactly the same as voting at any borough or general election.

All residents on the electoral roll have a vote on whether to adopt the plan or not. If more than 50% of those voting agree, the Plan is considered as 'made' and becomes a legally binding document with statutory weight and stands alongside Cheshire East's Local Plan in planning decision making.

This article is from our news archive. As a result pictures or videos originally associated with it may have been removed and some of the content may no longer be accurate or relevant.