Neighbourhood Development Plan

The Meriden Development Plan was established in 2018 with the aim to protect our villages history whilst planning for the future. The Plan acknowledges the increasing needs for housing, and covers how this can be done with the environment at the forefront. Other aspects covered in the Plan include; biodiversity, community assets, protecting and enhancing economic areas, and transport. 

The Plan is a binding set of planning policies which gives us more control and influence over the development in our parish. It sets a criterion for development which allows us to choose where development sites are located, what kind of sites they are, and how the development should look. For example, it allows us to deliver new homes for local people that are beneficial to the environment.  

Stage 3 – Pre-Submission Version

• Health check review of draft NP by Avon Planning and SMBC                  Jun-Jul 2019
• Statutory consultation of pre-submission version (Regulation 14)           Sep-Oct 2019
• Analysis, summary and tabulation of consultation responses                  Nov 2019
• Amendments and modifications to pre-submission version                     Dec 2019
• Basic Conditions Statement (required)                                                          Jan 2020
• Consultation Statement (required)                                                                 Jan 2020

Following Cabinet’s approval of Meriden Parish as the designated area for Meriden’s Neighbourhood Plan, the parish council held its inaugural working group meeting on Tuesday 21 April 2015.

What’s in a Neighbourhood Plan?

• Objectives to meet the vision of the Plan
• Policies to achieve the objectives
• Explanatory text to support the policies

Policies can include areas such as:

• Housing and employment allocations, housing mix to meet community needs
• Protection of important community facilities and promoting new ones
• Protection of open spaces, playing fields and greens
• Drainage and flood prevention
• High quality design, conservation of historical assets
• Promotion of walking and cycling routes
• Protection of allotments and promotion of new growing space
• Renewable energy and minerals extraction

What’s in it for us?

5 reasons why you should have a Neighbourhood Plan

• Unprecedented opportunity to make your voice heard through the production of a binding set of planning policies
• Gives you a lot more influence and control over the development of your area
• Allows you to develop criteria and choose which sites are allocated for what kind of development and how that development should look
• Helps you to deliver real, tangible, benefits for your area e.g. new homes for local people and the protection of open spaces for future generations to enjoy
• Facilitates community cohesion through tackling local issues and aspirations which may otherwise be overlooked by SMBC

For more information on what is a Neighbourhood Plan, click here. You can also read the presentation from our planning consultant here.

The minutes from past Neighbourhood Planning Meetings are available here to view and download.