The Town Council is now looking to set up the Neighbourhood Plan Working Group which includes a cross section of stakeholders from the community. This group will lead the production of the Andover Town Neighbourhood Plan. For more information, you can visit www.andoverplan.co.uk or email team@andoverplan.co.uk to get involved.
In March 2013 Andover Town Council made an application to Test Valley Borough Council to prepare a Neighbourhood Plan which was approved. The Town Council is now looking to set up the Neighbourhood Plan Working Group which includes a cross section of community organisations and stakeholders. This group will lead the production of the Andover Town Neighbourhood Plan.
Neighbourhood Planning is a new community-led planning initiative that has emerged from the Government’s Localism Bill. It gives local people new rights to help shape the development of the communities they live in. Neighbourhood Plans allow local communities to set out planning policies on the development and use of land in the ‘neighbourhood area’, in Andover Town’s case the neighbourhood area is the civil parish. Any policies included within the Neighbourhood Plan need to conform to strategic planning policies and guidance at the local, national and European level. They will also need to demonstrate support from the local community. Once adopted a Neighbourhood Plan becomes a statutory planning document which means that it is material consideration in determining any planning application within its boundaries.
Andover Town Council chose to progress a Neighbourhood Plan following on from the work on the Local Plan. The Local Plan, which focused on developing projects to help support and enhance the local economy, proposed a number of projects that would benefit from being included within a Neighbourhood Plan. By including these projects in a Neighbourhood Plan it will make them easier to deliver, as they have the support of a statutory planning document and a stronger chance of attracting funding.