A Neighbourhood Plan for Wolston - Background
Note: Scroll down for details of Working Group leaders, details of the monthly Steering Group
meetings, and details of how to contact the NDP team.
On 16th November 2015, following an application by Wolston Parish Council, Rugby Borough Council formally declared that the Civil Parish of Wolston was designated as a Neighbourhood Area for the purposes of Neighbourhood Planning, and that Wolston Parish Council were the Qualifying Body. Look here for a copy of the formal designation, and initial responses received from statutory consultees.
To enable work on the plan to proceed Wolston Parish Council appointed a formal Working Group to lead the research and development work necessary to take the plan forward and make regular progress reports back to the Parish Council, as the Qualifying Body for the Plan.
The formal Neighbourhood Plan Working Group consists of two groups, a Co-ordination Group to be responsible for development of policy and strategy and overall leadership and management of the Neighbourhood Plan, and a Steering Group for public liaison and interface and community endorsement of policy and strategic decisions taken by the Co-ordination Group.
Within this overall structure individual small Working Groups have been established to focus on specific areas of research and policy development - these are: Economy and Employment, Housing, Environment and Infrastructure. The Neighbourhood Plan is further supported by other volunteer team leaders who provide suppport for all areas relating to Finance, Secretariat and Communications and Engagement.
One of the first objectives of this team was to decide on a logo and text to appear on all NDP communications, and for this an image of the Millennium Millstone was chosen, surrounded by the words ''Our Wolston - Our Choice' . This is intended to reflect the past we all share and the future that as a community we aspire to achieve through our Neighbourhood Plan.
A Neighbourhood Plan for Wolston - The Way Forward
The Wolston Neighbourhood Plan will enable us to shape how our community develops in the future. Our Plan, when adopted, will be a binding part of the Rugby BC Local Plan, valid for the Local Plan period to 2031. The Neighbourhood Plan will enable us to identify and protect important local green spaces, choose (not be told !) where any new homes, shops, offices and other development should be built, influence what any new buildings should look like, identify shared aspirations for the future of Wolston and develop a common vision for our neighbourhood. To help understand this more an initial Mood Card was circulated to all houses in Wolston during early 2016, the responses to which (see the link in the box to the right) helped the NDP team understand some of the key issues facing our community.
A recently completed major task is a Housing Needs Survey, for which questionnaires were distributed to all housholds in Wolston at the end of March 2017. Links to the survey form and the report showing the analysis of the responses are available in the box on the right.
The Housing Needs Survey will be followed later in the year by more comprehensive surveys which address all aspects of the Neighbourhood Plan and will assist us to gather the evidence needed to support development of the policies which will form the core of the plan and which, when approved, will guide all planning decisions made by RBC for the parish of Wolston.
Professional support: Work to select a specialist contractor to provide the technical guidance and support that the Wolston NDP team will need in the future is now complete. Following a bidding round the NDP Working Group proposal for nomination of Avon Planning Services has been endorsed by Wolston Parish Council, and the contractor will be appointed in the near future on the basis of an agreed project workplan and timetable. This work will be funded by an external grant available from Locality.org, which administers the awards of NDP grants on behalf of central Government. Work to complete the application for the grant is now underway, and it is hoped that the first tranche of grant funding will be available shortly. This money will be held by Wolston Parish Council, as the Qualifing Body, on behalf of the Wolston Neighbourhood Plan Working Group, and normal Parish Council protocols regarding administration of the funds will apply.
A revised Constitution and Terms of Reference for the Wolston NDP Working Group were formally agreed by Wolston Parish Council on 6th September 2018.
The Wolston Neighbourhood Plan team had two sucessful stalls at the Wolston and Brandon 'Garden Walkabout' on 9th July 2017 - you can read about that, and a synopsis of the feedback from the Mood Cards, on this page (opens in a new window)
Updated 8th September 2018
Wolston Neighbourhood Plan
Progress Highlights
Wolston Neighbourhood Plan Area
RBC Decision Statement and supporting documents
Mood Card (2016)
Survey form
Synopsis of responses
Housing Needs Survey
Initial Flyer
Survey Form
Reminder
Results
Village flyer about the Neighbourhood Plan
It's time to have your say !
The RBC Local Plan, which the Wolston Neighbourhood Plan must not conflict with, has now been endorsed by the Borough Council and submitted for examination. Read more ..
Housing Needs Survey 2017
The report of the detailed analysis of the responses received to the recent Housing Needs Survey is now available. Look here for more information and to download a copy of the report.
NDP Constitution and Terms of Reference
The Constitution and ToR for the Wolston NDP Working Group, proposed by the NDP Coordination Group and endorsed by the NDP Steering Group, was formally endorsed by Wolston Parish Council on 6th July.
NDP Project Workplan and Timetable
The Wolston NDP Working Group have agreed a project workplan and timetable for development of our Neighbourhood Plan.
Mood Card (2017 Garden Walkabout)
Survey Form
Synopsis of Responses
Any questions ? Look at our FAQ page
Updated 20th January 2018