Pluckley Neighbourhood Plan
Neighbourhood Plan Review
The Neighbourhood Plan group have commenced a review of the adopted Neighbourhood Plan. Further details on the progress of the review are set out below.
Referendum
A referendum for the modified version of the Pluckley Neighbourhood Plan Review is to take place on 2 May 2024.
Details of the modifications are set out in Appendix 1 of the Examiner's Report, which is available below.
Information about the referendum, including the Information Statement and referendum timetable are available to view by accessing the following documents.
Information Statement - Pluckley Neighbourhood Plan Review Referendum [pdf] 346KB.
Notice of Referendum - Pluckley Neighbourhood Plan Review [pdf] 378KB.
Referendum timetable - Pluckley Neighbourhood Plan Review [pdf] 77KB.
Regulation 18 - Council's Decision Statement
Ashford Borough Council has now considered the contents of the Examiner's Report and have prepared a Decision Statement setting out the actions to be taken in response to the recommendations of the Examiner.
The Decision Statement confirms that the Pluckley Parish Neighbourhood Plan Review, with modifications, can proceed to referendum.
Decision Statement Pluckley Neighbourhood Plan Review
Public Notice Pluckley Neighbourhood Plan Review
Independent Examination of the Neighbourhood Plan
Ashford Borough Council appointed Mr. Derek Stebbing B.A. (Hons), Dip. E.P., MRTPI as the Independent Examiner of the review of the Pluckley Neighbourhood Plan in October 2023. The Examination commenced on 15th November 2023.
The Independent Examination has now been completed. The Council received the Examiner's Report on the 7th March 2024. The Examiner's Report recommended that the Pluckley Neighbourhood Plan Review has been duly prepared in compliance with the procedural requirements and that the Plan, subject to a number of modifications (set out in Appendix 1 of the Examiner's Report below), meets the Basic Conditions and should proceed to referendum.
View the Examiner's Report of the Pluckley Neighbourhood Plan Review
Under Regulation 18 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (as amended), Ashford Borough Council has a duty to respond to the Examiner's Report and the proposed modifications within it, in a formal 'Decision Statement' to indicate whether they agree to the Examiner's recommendations and if the Plan will proceed to public referendum within the Parish.
The Decision Statement is located above.
Examination Documents
The Examiner has set out the procedural matters for how the Examination will progress, and asked some questions of the Qualifying body and the Council in correspondence dated 15 November 2023.
View Examiner's Procedural Matters and Questions [pdf] 761KB
Pluckley Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group response to Examiner's Questions
Pluckley Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group Response To Examiner's Questions Dec23 [pdf] 87KB
Ashford Borough Council Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group response to Examiner's Questions
Ashford Borough Council Response To Inspectors Questions Dec 23 [pdf] 535KB
Consultation on Regulation 16 version of the Plan
The revised Pluckley Neighbourhood Plan was submitted to ABC for formal consultation. The consultation started on Friday 14 July 2023 and ran until 5pm on Friday 8 September 2023.
The consultation has now closed.
Following the consultation, the Neighbourhood Plan will progress to an Independent Examination.
If you wish to view the plan and supporting documentation, please view the Neighbourhood Plan consultation via our online consultation portal.
Pre-submission consultation (Regulation 14)
Pluckley Parish Council held a six week consultation on the pre-submission draft of the Neighbourhood Plan Review. The consultation closed on 31 October 2021.
Call For Sites
The review of Pluckley's Neighbourhood Plan has identified a need for a small number of homes. Local landowners were invited to propose sites to accommodate homes by the parish council in early 2021.
Please contact the Parish Council for further information.
Adoption of Pluckley Neighbourhood Plan
Following a positive referendum result, Ashford Borough Council has adopted the Pluckley Neighbourhood Plan 2016-30 as part of Ashford Borough Council’s Development Plan in accordance with Regulation 19 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012.
The Adopted Neighbourhood Plan and formal Regulation 19 Decision statement as required under Neighbourhood Planning Regulations is included in the key documents set out below:
Adopted Pluckley Neighbourhood Plan [pdf] 2MB (Also see boundary amendment below)
Regulation 19 Decision Statement [pdf] 124KB
Hard copies of the Neighbourhood Plan and Decision Statement above can be found at Pluckley Butchers, The Street, Pluckley, and the Civic Centre, Ashford during their usual opening times.
Parish Boundary Change
The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) conducted a review of Ashford’s borough ward boundaries in 2016/17 and made The Ashford (Electoral Changes) Order 2017 on 5 November 2017 giving effect to new borough warding arrangements for Ashford. The LGBCE Order also made consequential changes to parish warding arrangements in parishes affected by the new borough ward boundaries. The new ward and parish boundaries, as set out in The Ashford (Electoral Changes) Order 2017 and The Ashford Borough (Reorganisation of Community Governance) Order No.1 2016, took effect in April 2019.
Pluckley Parish boundary was amended as part of this change (minor change) which has led to a consequential change to the Neighbourhood Plan Designated Area. Under section 5 of the Neighbourhood Planning Act 2017, The Town and Country Planning Act 1990 is amended and a designation ceases to have effect if there is a change in the area of a parish council.
Ashford Borough Council has re-designated, under section 61G of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, the neighbourhood area of Pluckley, upon the request of the designated body Pluckley Parish Council. The revised neighbourhood area is identified on the map below and applies to the adopted Neighbourhood Plan above.
View Pluckley neighbourhood Area Boundary [pdf] 798KB
Referendum
Following the Examination into the Pluckley Neighbourhood Plan (PNP), the final PNP will now proceed to referendum on Thursday 9 March 2017.
Pluckley Neighbourhood Plan Notice of Referendum [pdf] 137KB
Pluckley Notice of Poll and Situation of Polling Stations [pdf] 62KB
The Neighbourhood Planning (Referendum) Regulations 2012 require the local planning authority to produce an information statement relating to the full details of the referendum procedures and a statement which sets out general information as to the context of the town and country planning (including neighbourhood planning) and the referendum - known as a 'context statement'. Both documents can be viewed below:
Information Statement for Pluckley Neighbourhood Plan (PNP) [pdf] 526KB
Pluckley Neighbourhood Development Plan Context Statement [pdf] 84KB
The Referendum Version of the Pluckley Neighbourhood Plan is available here:
Pluckley NP Final with Examiner's Modifications [pdf] 12MB
Other relevant documents can be located within the Information Statement above, or through the links in sections below.
The result of the Pluckley Neighbourhood Planning Referendum:
Votes cast for yes 239 - 88.2%
Votes cast for no 32 - 11.8%.
Turnout was 31%
Examiner’s Report and Regulation 18 - Council's Decision Statement
Ashford Borough Council appointed Mr. Richard High as the Independent Examiner of the Pluckley Neighbourhood Plan (PNP).
The Examiner assessed whether the PNP meets certain legal requirements, known as the ‘basic conditions’ as well as giving consideration to representations made on the draft PNP.
The council has received the Examiner’s Report dated 21 December 2016 which recommended that, subject to certain modifications, the plan can proceed to referendum.
Ashford Borough Council has now considered the contents of the Examiner’s Report and have prepared a 'Decision Statement' setting out the actions to be taken in response to the recommendations of the Examiner.
The Decision Statement confirms that the Pluckley Neighbourhood Plan, with modifications, can proceed to referendum.
The Examiner’s Report and the council’s Decision Statement can be viewed in hard copy at the following locations:
- Pluckley Butchers, The St, Pluckley
- Ashford Borough Council, Civic Centre, Tannery Lane, Ashford, TN23 1PL
These documents can also be accessed below:
- Public Notice - Pluckley Parish [pdf] 145KB
- Regulation 18 Decision Statement Final - Pluckley Neighbourhood Plan [pdf] 45KB
- Pluckley Examination Final Report [pdf] 1MB
- Pluckley Neighbourhood Plan Draft Submission Document [pdf] 6MB
Previous stages
Draft Neighbourhood Plan - 2016
The Regulation 16 consultation on the draft Pluckley Neighbourhood Plan was completed on 24 October 2016. Nine comments were received and they can now be viewed below:
PNP1 Highways England [pdf] 45KB
PNP3 Natural England [pdf] 41KB
PNP4 Southern Water [pdf] 37KB
PNP5 IDE Planning main response [pdf] 450KB
PNP7 Environment Agency [pdf] 73KB
Strategic environmental assessment - screening
In some limited circumstances, a Neighbourhood Plan may require a strategic environmental assessment to determine if the plan is likely to have significant environmental effects and draft neighbourhood plan proposals are assessed to determine this. This process is commonly referred to as a “screening” assessment, and can be found below for Pluckley's Draft Neighbourhood Plan.
Download screening determination - Pluckley [pdf] 105KB
Pluckley SEA HRA Screening Report [pdf] 2MB
Area designation - 2015
On 5 January 2015 the borough council received a request from Pluckley Parish Council for the designation of a Neighbourhood Area. The area requested to be designated was the entire Parish of Pluckley. The application and map of the area went out for public consultation for 6 weeks, and closed on Monday 2 March 2015.
On 10 March the planning policy manager, through delegated powers, approved the designation of the Pluckley Neighbourhood Area. The application and a report which outlines the application detail and the responses received to the consultation can be viewed below:
View Pluckley Neighbourhood Area Request and Map [pdf] 120KB
Download Final Report - Pluckley Neighbourhood Area Designation [pdf] 400KB
As Neighbourhood Plans are led by the parish, all information regarding the progress of plans, and details of how to get involved can be found on the Pluckley Parish Council website.
