The examination of the Bottesford Parish Neighbourhood Plan concluded that, subject to the acceptance of the recommendations put forward by the examiner, the Plan can proceed to referendum.

A report by Helen Metcalfe (a specialist in Neighbourhood Planning) considering the recommendations of the examiner, the reasons for them and their impact on the Plan was presented to a meeting of the Parish Council on 17th May 2021. The Council accepted the recommendations of the examiner and the associated reasons, concluding that the neighbourhood plan meets all of the statutory requirements and can proceed to referendum.

A copy of the Examiner's Report may be downloaded below.

Bottesford Parish Council have submitted to Melton Borough Council its proposals for a Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP). The Bottesford NDP is for the whole of the designated neighbourhood plan area and covers the period 2020-2036. It deals with a number of spatial planning issues, including but not limited to, those related to the location and design of housing development, environmental matters and designation of Local Green Spaces.

The proposed plan can be viewed and commented on at https://www.meltonplan.co.uk/bottesford. Due to the current COVID-19 crisis our Parkside offices are closed except for urgent contact. If you have difficulty accessing the Neighbourhood Plan and associated documents please contact Jorge Fiz Alonso at jfizalonso@melton.gov.uk to discuss a solution to suit your circumstances.

Any party who wishes to make a representation on the proposed Bottesford NDP is invited to do so now. Representations can include a request to be notified of the Council's decision whether to make or refuse to make the NDP.

Representations should be made using the representation forms which can be accessed online or by request if necessary, and sent to planningpolicy@melton.gov.uk or posted to Planning Policy, Melton Borough Council, Parkside, Station Approach, Burton Street, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire LE13 1GH.

Representations must be received no later than Wednesday, 17 January 2021.

The Neighbourhood Plan (NP) is a document which will state where we want newly built homes and other buildings to be located in Bottesford Parish (Bottesford, Easthorpe, Muston and Normanton).

The plan is created to shape where future building developments should be. The plan can’t stop developments or refuse planning permission (that still lies with the Borough or County Councils), but we can have a much stronger say in where we want it.

What is a Neighbourhood Plan?

The Bottesford Neighbourhood Plan is a document which will be part of Melton Borough Council's Development Plan and will influence the location, scale and appearance of future development. This is very important in Bottesford Parish (comprising Bottesford, Easthorpe, Muston and Normanton), as we are a popular area, and we need to manage the future scale of growth of the parish to reflect existing services and infrastructure (such as drainage capacity and the likelihood of flooding).

So the Bottesford Neighbourhood Plan is created to shape not only where future building developments should be to require higher design quality. This Neighbourhood Plan also reflects the growing urgency to address climate change both in the way houses are built and the importance of protecting the rural character of the parish. The plan can’t stop developments or refuse planning permission (that still lies with the Borough or County Councils), but we can have a much stronger say in where we want it.

Once the Plan has completed this consultation stage it will be independently examined, then voted upon by all of us within the four villages. If the Neighbourhood Plan receives a majority in favour, then the planning authorities must use the policies in it when assessing all future planning applications.

How is the Bottesford Neighbourhood Plan created?

There are several important stages beginning with consulting local people to get a clear idea of what residents wanted. The activity of the steering group (acting on behalf of the Parish Council is reflected in the past agendas and minutes of meetings (these are under the evidence base tab.) But quite simply, have worked since 2015 to find out exactly what is good and bad about our villages, and critically, what we would like our community to be like in the next 25-30 years.

This has involved consulting as many residents, workers, businesses, churches, charities, sports groups and other groups as possible. The Parish Council have commissioned reports and sought advise before writing the policies which will determine where we want future development to occur and what it should look like.

Once the plan is developed, it will be independently checked, then voted upon by all of us within the four villages. If the plan receives a majority in favour, then the planning authorities must abide by it for all future planning decisions.