Keep It Green 2014

Newsletter 10# – 3 September 2014

This is a summary of the slides shown at our second footpath walk on 31 August last, on

which we were accompanied by about 70 concerned residents and their families. After a

pie and peas meal, we updated those present on the status of the Local Plan process and

related activities. A big Thank You to those who attended.

LOCAL PLAN

Based on latest information from BMBC, the expected programme for this process is as

follows:

Draft Local Plan Consultation (DLPC)

The finalised DLPC will be presented to the Cabinet at the 8 October 2014 meeting.

The documentation, which is likely to be very extensive and complex, will include a “Green

Belt Review”, which will be used by BMBC to reshape the Green Belt to enable them to

meet their building objectives, without building on the Green Belt. Simples!

It is expected that the BMBC Consultation Home website (link at the end) will display the

link to the DLPC on 29 October 2014.

The consultation period is SIX weeks, nominally ending on 10 December 2014.

After this, there will be no more public information available until the next stage, according

to BMBC.

Public Version of the Local Plan Consultation (PVLPC)

When BMBC have reviewed the responses to the DLPC and amended their proposals to

suit, their firm proposal will be launched on the Consultation Home website on

approximately 1 July 2015.

Again, the consultation period is SIX weeks, nominally ending on 12 August 2015.

Public Examination of the Local Plan

After further deliberation, the Local Plan will be presented to the Government Inspector for

final approval. This will nominally start on 1 February 2016 and run for 2-4 weeks, we

expect.

This will be a public process, where the Government inspector will hear arguments in

favour of/opposed to BMBC’s proposals and decide to accept or amend them.

After the Government Inspector’s ruling, it is expected that the Local Plan will be formally

adopted on or about March/April 2016.

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At this point, the Local Plan becomes the key reference for decisions on the planning

applications that will inevitably follow.

BMBC have advised that, apart from the Consultation Home website, there will be a

number of ways in which you will be able to examine the proposals, including displays in

libraries, etc. This will be advertised on the launch.

As soon as the launch date of the DLPC is known, we will set up another public meeting,

timed to take place shortly after the launch, when we have had time to look at the

proposals and prepare some information for discussion. Another newsletter will cover this.

LINK ROAD

There is clearly a link between the Local Plan and the proposed link road, not least

because it is clear that the money to build the road, about £11 million, has been promised

on the assumption of it creating “added value”, in other words, pay for the road by allowing

development either side of it. This assumes, of course, that there is an appetite among

investors to get involved.

BMBC has already authorised preparation works at Junction 37 of the M1 in this financial

year, but are adamant that there will be no work on the road itself “until the end of the

consultation period”. BMBC say nothing will happen before 2016, but we have asked for

clarification.

SPAWFORTHS

We understand that Spawforths have started to approach individuals who left details at

their drop in session. We have asked them a series of questions to ascertain their

intentions and await their response, which we will circulate on receipt.

The point we must keep stressing, is that talking to Spawforths may be used against you

at some point in the future, when they claim their proposals, possibly revised from those

seen already, are the result of consultation and therefore have broad acceptance, if not

approval. Why help them?

REPRESENTATION

We are still researching the alternative methods of responding to the DLPC, but are sure

that individual responses will be very important. Blocks of signatures on standard letters,

petitions, etc, will not count. We will be looking at ways we can help in this process, but be

warned – you and your neighbours are going to have to make the effort if you want your

views to count. To repeat a saying used on our Facebook page:

You may never know what results come of your action,

but if you do nothing, there will be no result”.

Gandhi

Talking of effort, when we have the details of the DLPC, we will circulate a newsletter to

the whole of the area affected, probably requiring up to 2000 copies.

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This volume will take a lot of effort to distribute. We will be looking for volunteers to be

“Street Reps”, to take on the distribution local to where they live. We trust we can depend

on your support in this.

Finally, an example of how individuals can make a difference. Below is a website page

from an association based in Formby, Lancashire. They are further along the process than

we are, but managed to unseat a councillor in the Local Elections earlier this year, such

was the strength of feeling about their local issues. The timing of the General Election

next year could not be better, as local and national candidates have to stand and be

counted.

Ian Preddy

5.9.14

http://consult.barnsley.gov.uk/portal?

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