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Somersham Parish Council's application for the designation of a neighbourhood plan [PDF, 0.4MB] area relating to the whole of the parish was approved on 25 September 2024.
What is neighbourhood planning?
Neighbourhood planning was introduced by the Localism Act 2011. It allows local communities to develop a shared plan for their local area to shape the development and growth of their own neighbourhood by preparing a neighbourhood plan. Once approved, neighbourhood plans are used to help make decisions on planning applications in the area.
We have put together a Neighbourhood and Community Planning Guide [PDF, 1MB], aimed at town and parish councils, which sets out:
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the range of community planning tools available
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the council’s support for town or parish councils wishing to prepare a neighbourhood plan and
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signposts to the wide range of advice and guidance currently available.
Neighbourhood Planning in Huntingdonshire [PDF, 0.6MB] summarises the current position for the town and parish councils that are working on neighbourhood plans.
The following guides also provide useful information on the neighbourhood planning process:
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Cambridgeshire Insight has a wide range of evidence tools that can help with the production of neighbourhood plans.
The Landscape and Townscape SPD for the district (adopted March 2022) also includes a methodology [PDF, 0.4MB] that local communities can use to undertake their own landscape and townscape assessments for their area. The assessment can be used to support a neighbourhood plan and can be used as an evidence document to support policies relating to design, conservation, heritage and landscape.
Neighbourhood planning in Huntingdonshire
Alconbury
Alconbury Parish Council's application for the designation of a neighbourhood area [PDF, 0.6MB] relating to the whole of the parish was approved on 27 February 2023.
Alconbury Weston
Alconbury Weston Parish Council's application for the designation of a neighbourhood area [PDF, 2MB] relating to the whole of the parish was approved on 9 August 2022.
Alwalton
Alwalton Parish Council's application for the designation of a neighbourhood area [PDF, 0.9MB] relating to the whole of the parish was approved on 30 January 2017.
Brampton
Brampton Parish Council’s application for the designation of a neighbourhood area [PDF, 0.4MB] relating to the whole of the parish was approved on 5 March 2014, following consultation.
Brington and Molesworth
Brington and Molesworth Parish Council's application for the designation of a neighbourhood area [PDF, 0.8MB] relating to the whole of the parish was approved on 28 July 2021.
Buckden
Buckden Parish Council's application for the designation of a neighbourhood area [PDF, 3MB] relating to the whole of the parish was approved on 5 September 2018.
Regulation 14 consultation for the draft Buckden Neighbourhood Plan started on 29 November 2019 and concluded on 10 January 2020.
Regulation 16 (Submission) consultation of the Buckden Neighbourhood Development Plan was held between 21 July and 1 September 2020.
The Examiner’s report [PDF, 0.3MB] on the Buckden Neighbourhood Development Plan was issued on 23 October 2020 and recommended that the Plan proceed to referendum with modifications. This was agreed at the council's Overview and Scrutiny (Performance and Growth) on 9 December 2020 and by Cabinet on 10 December 2020.
A referendum on the Buckden Neighbourhood Development Plan took place on 6 May 2021 where a 91.8% majority 'yes' vote was returned. The full results can be viewed on the Elections results page. The Neighbourhood Plan was made at Full Council on Wednesday 19 May and now forms part of Huntingdonshire's Development Plan.
View the Buckden Neighbourhood Development Plan [PDF, 2.5MB].
For further information and supporting documentation on the Buckden Neighbourhood Development Plan, visit the Parish Council’s website.
Bury
Bury Parish Council's application for the designation of a neighbourhood area [PDF, 0.6MB] relating to the whole of the parish was approved on 7 October 2015, following consultation. Consultation on the Bury draft Neighbourhood Plan ran from 6 June 2019 to 18 July 2019.
Consultation on Bury Parish Council’s submission version of their Neighbourhood Plan closed on 31 October 2019. The Neighbourhood Plan was submitted for examination on 5 November 2019.
The Examiner’s report [PDF, 0.3MB] on Bury Village Neighbourhood Plan was issued on 19 December 2019 and recommended that the Plan proceed to referendum with modifications. This was agreed at the council's Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Performance and Growth) on 8 January 2020 and Cabinet on 23 January 2020.
A referendum on the Neighbourhood Plan took place on 6 May 2021 where a 92.4% majority ‘yes’ vote was returned. The full results can be viewed on the Elections results page. The Neighbourhood Plan was made at Full Council on Wednesday 19 May and now formally forms part of Huntingdonshire's Development Plan.
View the Bury Village Neighbourhood Plan [PDF, 8MB].
For further information and supporting documentation on the Bury Village Neighbourhood Development Plan, visit the Parish Council’s website.
Bythorn and Keyston
Bythorn and Keyston Parish Council's application for the designation of a neighbourhood area [PDF, 0.3MB] relating to the whole of the parish, was approved on 26 October 2023.
Catworth
Catworth Parish Council's application for the designation of a neighbourhood area [PDF, 2.5MB] relating to the whole of the parish was approved on 25 October 2022.
Elton
Elton Parish Council's application for the designation of a neighbourhood area [PDF, 0.8MB] relating to the whole of the parish was approved on 12 April 2018.
Glatton
Glatton Parish Council's application for the designation of a neighbourhood area [PDF, 1.5MB] relating to the whole of the parish was approved on 5 September 2022.
Godmanchester
Godmanchester Town Council’s application for the designation of a neighbourhood area [PDF, 1MB] relating to the whole of the parish was approved on 11 March 2015, following consultation.
Godmanchester Parish Council prepared a draft Neighbourhood Plan for comment from November 2016 to January 2017. The Parish Council then amended and finalised their Neighbourhood Plan for formal submission consultation from 8 May to 19 June 2017. Independent examination of Godmanchester's submission neighbourhood plan took place between 3 July and 30 August 2017.
The examiner concluded that the neighbourhood plan could proceed to referendum, subject to modifications. The town and district councils have agreed the modifications to the plan. At its meeting on 12 October 2017, Huntingdonshire District Council's cabinet approved the modified plan to proceed to referendum.
Visit the Godmanchester Town Council website for more information on the Neighbourhood Plan.
The Godmanchester Neighbourhood Plan [PDF, 5.5MB] was 'made' at a meeting of full council on 13 December 2017. The Neighbourhood Plan is now part of the Adopted Development Plan.
Grafham and Ellington
Grafham and Ellington’s application for the designation of a neighbourhood area [PDF, 3MB] was open to public consultation between 8 July to 23 August 2019. The Grafham and Ellington parishes were approved for designation as a neighbourhood area on 3 September 2019.
Regulation 14 consultation on the draft Grafham and Ellington Neighbourhood Plan has now closed. For further updates please visit the Ellington Parish Council website.
Regulation 16 (Submission) consultation of the Grafham and Ellington Neighbourhood Plan was held between 12 July 2021 and 27 August 2021.
Following the close of the consultation, all documents and representations received were sent to an independent Examiner. The examination of the neighbourhood plan commenced on 6 September.
The Examiner’s report [PDF, 0.3MB] on the Grafham and Ellington Neighbourhood Plan was issued on 4 October 2021. The report recommended that the Plan met all legal requirements and can proceed to referendum with modifications. The Neighbourhood Plan was presented at the Overview and Scrutiny (Performance and Growth) meeting on 3 November followed by Cabinet on 18 November 2021 where councillors approved the Plan proceed to referendum.
The referendum for the Grafham and Ellington Neighbourhood Plan took place on 27 January 2022. 95.7% of those who voted were in favour of the Neighbourhood Plan. The results can be viewed on our Elections Results page. The Neighbourhood Plan was made at Full Council on Wednesday 23 February 2022 and now forms part of Huntingdonshire’s Development Plan.
View the Grafham and Ellington Neighbourhood Plan [PDF, 3.5MB].
For further information and supporting documentation on the Grafham and Ellington Neighbourhood Plan, visit the Parish Councils’ website.
Great Gransden
Great Gransden Parish Council's application for the designation of a neighbourhood area [PDF, 1.5MB] relating to the whole of the parish was approved on 30 July 2018.
Great Gransden Parish Council undertook consultation on their draft neighbourhood plan between 1 March and 12 April 2022. More information can be found on Great Gransden Parish Council’s website.
Regulation 16 (Submission) consultation on the Great Gransden Neighbourhood Plan ran between 25 August and 7 October 2022.
Comments can be viewed using our online consultation portal. These comments and all submission documents have been passed onto an independent examiner. The examination of the neighbourhood plan commenced on 14 October.
On 20 October, the Examiner wrote to Great Gransden Parish Council and Huntingdonshire District Council with a number of preliminary questions. A copy of this letter can be found below alongside a response to these questions:
The Examiner's report [PDF, 0.3MB] on the Great Gransden Neighbourhood Plan was issued on 30 November 2022 and recommended that the Plan met all legal requirements and can proceed to referendum with modifications. The Neighbourhood Plan was presented at the council's Overview and Scrutiny (Performance and Growth) on 4 January followed by Cabinet on 24 January 2023 where Councillors approved the Plan proceed to referendum.
The Referendum on the Great Gransden Neighbourhood Plan took place on 9 March 2023 where a majority 'yes' vote was achieved (91.27%). The results can be viewed on our Elections Results page. The Neighbourhood Plan was made at Full Council on Wednesday 29 March 2023 and now forms part of Huntingdonshire's Development Plan.
View the Great Gransden Neighbourhood Plan [PDF, 2.5MB].
For further information and supporting documentation on the Great Gransden Neighbourhood Plan, visit the Parish Councils' website.
Great Staughton
Great Staughton Parish Council's application for the designation of a neighbourhood area [PDF, 0.2MB] relating to the whole of the parish was approved on 21 January 2021.
Great Staughton Parish Council have commenced a consultation on their draft neighbourhood plan. The draft plan is available to comment until the 2 November 2023. More information and details on how to comment can be found on Great Staughton Parish Council's website.
Hemingford Grey
Hemingford Grey Parish Council's application for the designation of a neighbourhood area [PDF, 0.3MB] relating to the whole of the parish was approved on 21 September 2018.
Houghton and Wyton
Houghton and Wyton Parish Council’s application for the designation of a neighbourhood area [PDF, 3MB] relating to the whole of the parish was approved on 19 December 2012, following consultation.
Houghton and Wyton Parish Council prepared a draft Neighbourhood Plan for comment from November 2014 to January 2015. The Parish Council then amended and finalised their Neighbourhood Plan for formal submission consultation from 19 June to 31 July 2015. Independent examination by a chartered town planner started on 14 September 2015. The examiner's report [PDF, 0.4MB] was received on 14 December 2015.
Following consultation on alternative modifications for the Houghton and Wyton Neighbourhood Plan to those proposed by the examiner, the examination was reopened on 7 September 2017 with a new examiner.
The examiner has asked that the following documents are made available:
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the Inspector's Report to the Local Plan 2002 [PDF, 3MB] and the addendum [PDF, 0.3MB]
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High Court Judgment: Houghton & Wyton Parish Council v Huntingdonshire District Council [PDF, 84KB]
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Appeal Decision: St Ives Golf Club, December 2015 [PDF, 0.5MB]
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the plan [PDF, 0.9MB] provided by Design Planning and Economics on 28 September 2017 showing the extent of HCA land ownership and the boundaries of its planning permission.
The examiner's final report [PDF, 2.5MB] was received on 20 November 2017 (corrected version issued 6 December 2017). The recommendation was that the plan with modifications can proceed to referendum.
The Parish and District Councils have agreed the modifications to the plan. At its meeting on 18 January 2018, Huntingdonshire District Council's cabinet approved the modified plan to proceed to referendum.'
Visit the Houghton and Wyton Parish Council website for more information on the Neighbourhood Plan.
The Houghton and Wyton Neighbourhood Plan [PDF, 7MB] was 'made' at a meeting of full council on 26th March 2018. The Neighbourhood Plan is now part of the Adopted Development Plan.
Huntingdon
Huntingdon Town Council's application for the designation of a neighbourhood area relating to the whole of the parish was approved on 23 April 2015 following consultation.
Huntingdon Town Council produced a submission version of their Neighbourhood Plan which was available for comment between 11 February 2019 to 25 March 2019.
Visit the Huntingdon Town Council website for more information on the Neighbourhood Plan.
The Examiner's Report [PDF, 0.4MB] on the Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan was received on 9 May 2019. The recommendation was that the plan should proceed to referendum with modifications, this was endorsed by Cabinet on 18 July 2019. A referendum on the plan was held on 19 September, a majority 'yes' vote of 87% was achieved.
The Huntingdon Neighbourhood Plan [PDF, 7MB] was approved at Full Council on 9 October 2019. The Neighbourhood Plan is now 'made' and forms part of the Adopted Development Plan.
Leighton Bromswold
Leighton Bromswold Parish Council's application for the designation of a neighbourhood area [PDF, 0.3MB] relating to the whole of the parish was approved on 11 July 2024.
Old Weston
Old Weston Parish Council's application for the designation of a neighbourhood area [PDF, 1.5MB] relating to the whole of the parish was approved on 09 July 2018.
Ramsey
Ramsey Town Council's application for the designation of a neighbourhood area [PDF, 2.5MB] relating to the whole of the parish was approved on 6 February 2024. The neighbourhood area is for the Parish of Ramsey which includes Ramsey Town, the villages of Ramsey Heights, Ramsey Mereside, Ramsey St Mary's, Ramsey Forty Foot and the area of Ramsey Hollow.
Sawtry
Sawtry Village Neighbourhood Plan was submitted for examination on 31 May 2023, details can be found below.
Sawtry Parish Council's application for the designation of a neighbourhood area [PDF, 0.6MB] relating to the whole of the parish was approved on 23 October 2019.
Sawtry Parish Council is currently consulting on its draft Neighbourhood Plan. More details can be found on the parish council website. The consultation is running from 5 December 2022 to midnight on 28 January 2023.
Public consultation on the Sawtry Village Neighbourhood Plan 'submission version' ran from 12 April 2023 to 24 May 2023. Comments can be viewed on the online consultation portal. The Sawtry Village Neighbourhood Plan was submitted for examination on 31 May 2023. On 8 June 2023, the Examiner wrote to Sawtry Parish Council and Huntingdonshire District Council with their procedural matters and questions [PDF, 0.3MB].
Responses to these questions can be found below:
- Sawtry Parish Council and HDC response to examiner's questions [PDF, 0.2MB]
- Sawtry Parish Council response to examiner's questions [PDF, 0.3MB]
The examiner issued their report [PDF, 0.4MB] on 31 July 2023, noting that the plan could proceed to referendum once modified.
The Neighbourhood Plan for Sawtry was presented at the council's Overview and Scrutiny (Performance and Growth) on 6 September 2023 followed by Cabinet on 19 September 2023 where Councillors approved the Plan proceed to referendum .
The referendum for the Sawtry Village Neighbourhood Plan took place on 9 November. 88.4% of those who voted were in favour of the Neighbourhood Plan. The results can be viewed on our Elections Results page. Sawtry Village Neighbourhood Plan [PDF, 8.5MB] was made at council on 13 December 2023, and now forms part of Huntingdonshire's Development Plan.
Somersham
Somersham Parish Council's application for the designation of a neighbourhood plan [PDF, 0.4MB] area relating to the whole of the parish was approved on 25 September 2024.
St Ives
St Ives Council's application for the designation of a neighbourhood area [PDF, 0.4MB] relating to the whole of the parish was approved on 4 March 2019.
A Strategic Environmental Assessment and Habitat Regulations Assessment [PDF, 1.5MB]
Screening Report [PDF, 1.5MB] was undertaken for the St Ives Pre-Submission Neighbourhood Plan. The report concluded that a Strategic Environmental Assessment and Habitats Regulations Assessment are not required.
St Ives Town Council consulted on their draft neighbourhood plan from 15 October 2023 to 1 December 2023. More information and details can be found on the St Ives Town Council website.
St Neots
St Neots Town Council's application or the designation of a neighbourhood area [PDF, 1MB] relating to whole of the parish was approved on 17 October 2013, following consultation.
St Neots Town Council then prepared a draft Neighbourhood Plan and submitted it to Huntingdonshire District Council. The plan was consulted on, between 29 July and 9 September 2014, then independently examined by a chartered town planner from 12 January 2015. The examiner's report was received on 3 March 2015.
Visit the St Neots Town Council website for more information on the Neighbourhood Plan.
A referendum relating to the adoption of the St Neots Neighbourhood Plan was held on 4 February 2016. The majority of those who voted answered yes to the question, "Do you want Huntingdonshire District Council to use the Neighbourhood Plan for St Neots to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?".
The St Neots Neighbourhood Plan [PDF, 2.5MB] was 'made' at a meeting of full Council, on 24 February 2016. The Neighbourhood Plan is now part of the Adopted Development Plan.
Stilton
Stilton Parish Council's application for the designation of a neighbourhood area [PDF, 1MB] relating to the whole of the parish was approved on 18 September 2023.
The Giddings, Winwick and Hamerton
Great and Little Gidding Parish Council, with Hamerton and Steeple Gidding Parish Council and Winwick Parish Council applied for designation of a neighbourhood [PDF, 2MB] area comprising all parish areas. Consultation on the area designation ran from 1 February to 15 March 2023. The designation was approved as a neighbourhood area [PDF, 1MB] on 30 March 2023.
The Stukeleys
The Stukeleys Parish Council's application or the designation of a neighbourhood area [PDF, 0.3MB] relating to the whole of the parish was approved on 3 June 2016, following consultation.
The Stukeleys Parish Council undertook consultation on their draft neighbourhood plan between 8 May and 19 June 2020. More information can be found on The Stukeleys Parish Council website.
The Neighbourhood Plan for The Stukeleys was submitted for independent examination in December 2022. The Examiner's report [PDF, 0.4MB] on the Neighbourhood Plan was issued on 8 February 2023 and recommended that the Plan met all legal requirements and can proceed to referendum with modifications.
The Neighbourhood Plan was presented at the council's Overview and Scrutiny (Performance and Growth) 5 April 2023 followed by Cabinet on 18 April 2023 where councillors approved the Plan proceed to referendum. Referendum on The Neighbourhood Plan for The Stukeleys held on 8 June 2023 where a 91.6% majority 'yes' vote was returned. The full results can be viewed on the Elections results page.
The Stukeleys Neighbourhood Plan [PDF, 4.5MB] was 'made' at Full Council on 19 July 2023 and now forms part of Huntingdonshire's development plan.