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Press Releases

2015 Archive

PRESS RELEASE
 
 
6th March 2015
 
After a hard fought campaign, the people of Denmead have voted with a 2/3 majority (of a turnout of 41.45%) to accept the Neighbourhood Plan. The Steering Group would like to thank those people who voted in favour and put their faith in a Plan that puts the people of Denmead in the forefront of the local planning process.
 
Despite some unfounded comment that the Parish Council, through the Steering Group, were following their own agenda the Neighbourhood Plan is now set to become law within a few weeks, when Winchester City Council formally adopt the Plan. The Parish Council is already using the Plan to deliver on the policies within it and already, in its emerging versions, it has been cited in recent planning decisions.
 
The people of Denmead can be proud that they are the first in Hampshire to have the foresight and protection of a Neighbourhood Plan. The Parish Council and residents, by working TOGETHER, will ensure that it delivers a best future for Denmead.
 
Neil Lander-Brinkley
Chairman, DNP Steering Group
 
 
The result             YES          1,546 votes
                             NO              785 votes
                             rejected           6 votes
                             turnout        41.45%
       
                               
 

 
Denmead Neighbourhood Plan – Press release
 3rd February 2015
for immediate use

Denmead Parish Council's proposal to prepare a Neighbourhood Plan was chosen in 2011 by the Department of Communities to make it one of the first 150 Parishes/Forums who were given FRONTRUNNER status and funding to prepare a Plan. To date 43 Neighbourhood Plans have been subject to Referendum, and passed. No Neighbourhood Plan has failed. Another 8 Plans, like Denmead's, have passed Examination and will shortly be tested by Referendum. There are nearly 1,000 such Plans in various stages of development but Denmead is at the forefront, indeed we are the first in Winchester and the most advanced in Hampshire.

The Steering Group, which managed the project, paid particular attention to consultation with residents. This was done in three phases, and used a number of different methods to ensure that all parts of the local community and all age groups contributed to the researched outcomes. The Royal Town Planning Institute has complemented the Steering Group on some of its innovative approaches – such as the use of a pop-up shop for Drop In sessions and cartoons to attract attention, especially young people, to the project.  Independent and professional sources provided further evidence to inform our rigorous preparation of the Neighbourhood Plan.  Local residents were kept informed of its progress by articles in our quarterly publication, the Denmead Scene, which is delivered to all households in Denmead.  Since the first draft of the Plan went public in March 2014 we have held seven public meetings in six different venues and used a wide range of different presenting formats.

In October and November last year, the Neighbourhood Plan was subjected to a further six-week period of consultation conducted by Winchester City Council. Following that, the Plan and all the 126 comments were passed to an independent Examiner approved by Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and the Department of Communities.  The Examiner found that the Plan meets the Basic Conditions as it is required to do.   The Denmead Neighbourhood Plan is within the framework of the Winchester District Local Plan Part 1, and is consistent with the current draft of Part 2 of the Local Plan.
 
Denmead now has the opportunity to vote YES in a Referendum.  A positive vote (over 50% of those who vote) will make the Neighbourhood Plan into a legal planning document.  It is a GOOD Plan that has been prepared by Denmead people and will enable them to be confident about how their village develops in the future.  Its policies provide for the retaining of the settlement Gap with Waterlooville; allocating building to specific sites; the need for sympathetic Housing Design; promoting Parklands Business Park; enhancing sport facilities and providing more green space for leisure; protecting the car park, and considering the long term requirement for the burial ground.
 
The Referendum will be held on Thursday March 5th 2015. Two Polling Stations will be used, the Community Centre in School Lane and the All Saints Church Hall in Hambledon Road.  They will be open from 7.00 am to 10.00 pm. Postal voting will also be allowed.

For further information contact Winchester City Council or Denmead Parish Council using
or telephone 023 9224 7947. 

Release ends



The Parish Council of Denmead
PRESS RELEASE
29 th September 2014


For immediate use

Since late in 2011 a team of Parish Councillors and residents of Denmead have been working on a Neighbourhood Plan using legislation passedn in 2012 to determine the village's future. The draft Neighbourhood Plan makes site allocations which meet agreed housing needs, as well as protecting the Denmead Gap; improving open space provision, planning for a Multi-Use Games Area, promoting the local economy in the shopping area and at Parklands business area.

Denmead is pioneering the concept of local people planning their own future and are one of the Government's Frontrunners in this process. There are now over 2000 parishes and local forums preparing a Plan with over twenty having completed the process.

Neil Lander-Brinkley, Chairman of the Steering Group said "Today we can announce that the Denmead Neighbourhood Plan has been submitted to Winchester City Council (WCC) and that it has gone live on their web-site thus starting a further six week period of consultation.

"Whilst the Plan has taken quite a long time to prepare, this is largely because we have been in uncharted territory. "Recently we have made very good progress and that included a period when residents were able to comment on a draft version. "We have made some changes as a result of comments received. "All this work has helped to create a path which other groups can follow. "

The comments received by WCC will be passed to an independent Examiner appointed by the City Council. The Examiner will consider the representations, whether the plan meets the basic conditions and other relevant legal requirements and determine if the plan should be put to a community referendum. The Examiner may request further information to help in his consideration and may conduct the examination through written representations only, or he may call a public hearing to examine a particular issue in more depth. If the examiner recommends that the Plan should proceed to a Referendum which will probably take place 2 or 3 months afterwards.

The Denmead Neighbourhood Plan and supporting documents may be viewed on Winchester City Council’s website :http://www.winchester.gov.uk/planning-policy/neighbourhood-plans/dnp-submission/ and is
available for inspection in hard copy at Denmead Parish Council, The Old School, School Lane, Denmead, Waterlooville, PO7 6LU (Monday to Friday 9.30am-4.30pm).

Representations may be made online at:
http://www.winchester.gov.uk/planning-policy/neighbourhood-plans/dnp-submission/ by email to: denmeadnp@winchester.gov.uk or by post to: Head of Strategic Planning, Winchester City Council, City Offices, Colebrook Street, Winchester, SO23 9LJ.

For further background why not visit
www.denmeadneighbourhoodplan.org.uk?

Ends

Tony Daniells, Clerk to the council
email:
clerk@denmeadparishcouncil.co.uk  telephone: 023 9224 7947




December 2013

Press Information - for immediate use
It’s the only one in Winchester!


The localism legislation introduced by this government has encouraged Parish Councils to develop their own plans for the future of their community. Currently Denmead is the only Council in the whole of the Winchester City Council district to be preparing a Neighbourhood Plan. Denmead was chosen by the Department of Communities  & Local Government (DCLG) be one of a select band of ‘Frontrunners’ in the project and given a grant to help us create our Neighbourhood Plan.
Since we started two years ago, the Steering Group, made up of Parish Councillors, one of our Ward Councillors and volunteers from within the village has been consulting with residents about how they wish the village to evolve over the next twenty years as well as fact-finding about the environment, transport issues, and community issues such as lack of green and play space. "We have had three rounds of consultation" reports Neil Lander-Brinkley (who chairs the Steering Group) as well as seeking professional advice from such bodies as the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust on specialist issues". Winchester City Council Officers have been helpful in providing background information as they progress the Local Plan for the District.
Working within the parameters set out in the Winchester Local Plan Part 1, Denmead is responsible for its own Plan for its development  up to 2031. This will include where heritage views and green space should be preserved, when business initiatives should be encouraged  as well as where houses should be built, how they should be designed and the mix of types of housing  are all part of the work.
"We are positive about the future and not seeking to stifle change" says Neil. "We accept the fact that we have to find space for about 250 dwellings within the village plan area. "We will do that, but we as part of the process we will work with developers and the other authorities to ensure that the village has good and modern facilities that are in keeping with its heritage as a rural community on the fringe of urban settlements."
The timetable for Denmead’s work shows that it will be consulting with residents during March 2014, showing them a draft version of the Neighbourhood Plan. That will be followed by an Examination by an independent  Examiner (appointed by the government) and then a referendum in the summer. "We have appointed a professional advisor to help us and we are on track to achieve this" says Peter Ambrose, a resident who is a member of the Steering Group.


Notes for Press
(i) Currently five Neighbourhood Plans have gone to referendum in England. All have been approved and the most recent was Tattenhall in Cheshire.
(ii) Visit ww.denmeadneighbourhoodplan.org.uk for more information
(iii) Photo - the attached photograph shows Neil lander-Brinkley at St George’s Road, Denmead where 80 dwellings, that count towards the total of 250, are approaching completion.

 

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