A major public consultation and information campaign is to be launched in Tenterden in the spring to canvass views on the local Neighbourhood Plan (NP), which sets out bespoke planning policies intended to protect important local characteristics and green spaces for future generations.
The NP steering group, comprised of local residents and town councillors, has been active over the past 18 months in collecting evidence and listening to the public’s views, with exhibitions and presentations providing crucial evidence of what people treasure about the parish. The Biodiversity and Wildlife group has recorded sightings of more than 2,000 species, including the rediscovery of wild polecats which have been absent from Kent for many years.
The Council has hired specialist consultancy Feria Urbanism to conduct a six-week consultation, both online and paper-based, to establish residents’ views on the proposed policies.
Once the consultation is complete, the draft NP will be considered by Ashford Borough Council and an Independent Planning Inspector.
NP committee member Cllr Walder says; “The Neighbourhood Plan is the one opportunity for local people to make their voices heard in determining planning policy which is then applied to all planning decisions in the parish. We are excited to reach this significant milestone in the process and look forward to hearing the views of residents as part of the formal Regulation 14 consultation.”
“Through researching and collecting the evidence for the Neighbourhood Plan we are learning something new about our wonderful parish almost every day.”
“We’re confident we will succeed in producing a Neighbourhood Plan for Tenterden that’s worthy of its unofficial title ‘The Jewel of the Weald.”