Andover Town Council, Ashley Parish Council, Charlton Parish Council, and jointly Romsey Extra Parish Council and Romsey Town Council, have submitted applications for the designation of a neighbourhood area to cover their respective parishes.
The application for a neighbourhood area is the first stage in the development of a Neighbourhood Development Plan, which would help residents to influence and shape the future of the places where they live and work.
Test Valley Borough Council will launch a public consultation on the neighbourhood areas this Friday (2 May 2014). Individuals and organisations will have until 4.30pm on Friday, 13 June 2014 to submit feedback on whether the boundaries for the designated areas are appropriate.
The Localism Act 2011 introduced the legal framework for neighbourhood planning and the preparation of Neighbourhood Development Plans (NDP) by parish and town councils. This forms part of the government’s initiative to give communities a greater say on the future of their local area. The plans set out proposals for housing and employment as well as a range of other projects and initiatives.
Once the public consultation ends, the parish and town councils will be able to move to the next stage of the process to undertake research and community engagement to develop a Neighbourhood Plan.