Neighbourhood Planning for the Parish

Horsmonden Neighbourhood Plan - Referendum Version 3rd February 2023 

The Referendum Version of the Neighbourhood Plan (subject to TWBC Cabinet approval on 23 March 2023) is now on the NH Plan website and may be viewed here:

http://horsmondennp.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Appendix-D-Referendum-Horsmonden-HNDP.pdf

If approved, the Neighbourhood Plan will then go forward to referendum on 8 June 2023, and if approved at referendum (that is, more than 50% of the votes cast being in favour of the Neighbourhood plan) it will become part of the statutory development plan for the Parish of Horsmonden. 

Horsmonden Neighbourhood Plan - Final Stages 4th January 2023

As the Neighbourhood Plan approaches the final stages, Community Planner, Jim Boot, has issued a helpful summary of the progress so far.  This can be viewed here:

http://horsmondennp.co.uk/ 

Progress on the Neighbourhood Plan - The Examination 29th November 2022

The examiner’s report has now been received and can be accessed via the link to the Neighbourhood Plan website below:

http://horsmondennp.co.uk/ 

Neighbourhood Plan Update - 7th November 2022

The responses to the questions raised by the Independent examiner have now been submitted by the Parish Council and Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and can be viewed on the new “Examination Phase” page of the Neighbourhood Plan website.

See link for the website here: http://horsmondennp.co.uk/

Neighbourhood Plan update 31st October 2022

The Independent examiner has now come back to the Parish Council with some initial questions regarding the plan and these can be examined on our Neighbourhood Plan website.

Neighbourhood Plan - Progress Update 17th October 2022

Sixteen separate responses were received by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (TWBC) in response to its recent consultation on the Submission Horsmonden Neighbourhood Plan (HNP). These have now been sent with the draft HNP and supporting documents to the Examiner John Slater who was jointly appointed by TWBC and Horsmonden Parish Council (HPC).

Regulations do not permit the HPC to make changes to the HNP at this stage. Instead, the Examiner will review all the comments, most likely raise queries with or seek clarification from the HPC and then issue a final report. As the HNP is not allocating sites for development, we think it unlikely there will be a Public Hearing with the Examiner before he issues his final report. Following the Examiner’s report the HPC is able to amend the HNP to accommodate changes advised by the Examiner. After that, parishioners will have the opportunity to vote for or against the final version of the HNP in a referendum.

Parishioners should understand that a vote against the HNP in the referendum will not prevent the two proposed developments on the Brenchley Road or Bassetts Farm sites from going ahead because these sites have been proposed for development in TWBC’s Submission Local Plan, not by the HNP. The HNP instead seeks to influence and mitigate the impact of the proposed developments, if they go ahead, by providing for policies specific to the Horsmonden parish that developers must adhere to. Development on those sites is still subject to planning permission and parishioners can follow and make comments on the planning applications as they arise.

The HNP Steering Group and HPC would like to thank everyone who has responded to this and previous consultations and will continue to keep parishioners up to date on progress. It is hoped that the Examination will be completed in the next month.

Follow this link to the current Neighbourhood Planning website:

Horsmonden Neighbourhood Planning