Post-Examination Neighbourhood Plan
The Emsworth Neighbourhood Plan has successfully passed its examination. A Referendum to complete the process and give it full weight will be held as soon as Coronavirus restrictions allow. In the meantime, in line with government advice on Neighbourhood Plans awaiting their referendum, the plan now has significant weight in the determination of planning applications in Emsworth.
It should be noted that as well as the changes specifically requested by the examiner (see below), this version contains additional amendments to address the new planning use classes which came into effect in September 2020. These amendments are in line with the examiners report, and details have been agreed between the Council and the Neighbourhood Forum.
Background:
Forum designation
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:
- Emsworth Forum Designation Schedule A (pdf 442 kb)
- Emsworth Forum Designation Schedule B (pdf 49 kb)
- Emsworth Forum Designation Schedule C (pdf 61 kb)
- Emsworth Forum Designation Schedule D (pdf 84 kb)
- Emsworth Forum Designation Schedule E (pdf 43 kb)
- Emsworth Forum Designation Schedule F (pdf 53 kb)
Emsworth Neighbourhood Plan
Since their original designation, the Emsworth Forum have been developing their Neighbourhood Plan, and submitted it to the council on 25 April 2019. The submission documents are available below:
- Submission Emsworth Neighbourhood Plan Consultation Notice (pdf 136 kb)
- Emsworth Neighbourhood Plan Submission Letter To Havant Borough Council 25 April 2019 no signature (pdf 132 kb)
- Submission Version Emsworth Neighbourhood Plan (pdf 8.5 mb)
- Basic Conditions Statement March 2019 (pdf 344 kb)
- Emsworth Neighbourhood Plan Consultation Statement (pdf 1.8 mb)
- Emsworth Neighbourhood Plan SEA HRA Screening Opinion letter (pdf 148 kb)
- Emsworth Neighbourhood Plan - SEA Screening Opinion (April 2019 post consultation) (pdf 481 kb)
- Legal checklist Emsworth Neighbourhood Plan (pdf 117 kb)
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:
- Summary of Emsworth Neighbourhood Plan Reg16 Representations (pdf 55 kb)
- Emsworth Neighbourhood Plan - all representations (pdf 18.3 mb)
Examination
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.
- Emsworth Neighbourhood Development Plan - Clarification Note (pdf 371 kb)
- Havant Borough Council’s response to the Clarification Note (including maps) (pdf 6 mb)
- Emsworth Forum's response to the Clarification Note (pdf 1.8 mb)
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.
Referendum
The council has decided to accept the examiner’s recommendations and send the plan to referendum.
The question asked will be: "Do you want Havant Borough Council to use the Emsworth Neighbourhood Plan to help it decide planning applications in the Neighbourhood Area?"
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 until 6 May 2021, and is keeping the situation under review.
Contact
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.