In 2014, a community group called the Emsworth Forum applied to Havant Borough Council to be designated as the ’neighbourhood forum’ and the Emsworth Ward to be designated as a ‘neighbourhood area’ for the purposes of neighbourhood planning. The council accepted that application and designated the forum and the area on 23 July 2014.
Designations expire after 5 years, so the forum re-applied and was again designated for a further 5 years on 24 June 2019, through a delegated decision by the Service Director for Regeneration & Place. The approved 2019 designation application documents are available below:
On 17 March 2023, the Emsworth Forum, and another local community group the Emsworth Residents Association merged into one organisation to be called the Emsworth Residents Forum (ERF). The combined group will continue the neighbourhood planning functions in Emsworth. The ERF’s new constitution, which replaces Schedule D above, is found below:
Emsworth Residents Forum Constitution PDF (PDF 688 kb)
The Emsworth Forum submitted their draft Neighbourhood Plan to the Council on 25 April 2019. The submission documents are available below:
A 6 week consultation under Regulation 16 of the Neighbourhood Planning Regulations ran from 26 April to 7 June 2019. A summary of the responses received is available below:
The council, in consultation with the forum, appointed an independent examiner to review whether the plan meets the basic conditions.
Following an unaccompanied visit to Emsworth, the examiner sent a Clarification Note to the Emsworth Forum and the borough council. The responses are published below.
The examiner’s report was received on 6 January 2020. It concludes that, subject to a series of recommended modifications, the Emsworth Neighbourhood Plan meets all the necessary legal requirements and should proceed to referendum.
The council decided to accept the examiner’s recommendations and send the plan to referendum.
The referendum was scheduled to take place alongside the local elections on 7 May 2020. Due to the Coronavirus situation, the Government postponed all elections and referendums.
The referendum was held on Thursday 8 July 2021 and the question asked was:
“Do you want Havant Borough Council to use the Neighbourhood plan for Emsworth to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?”
The following result was returned:
Since the community voted in favour of the plan, the Council adopted it as part of the development plan for the area on 22 September 2021.
Any questions should be directed to the Planning Policy Team at policy.design@havant.gov.uk or on telephone 023 9244 6539. Further details can also be found on the Emsworth Forum website and in the Government’s Neighbourhood Planning Guidance.