The countdown begins for Chinnor’s Neighbourhood Plan

AFTER months of hard work, Thame’s village neighbour, Chinnor, is almost ready to submit a Draft version of its own Neighbourhood Plan.

Flashback to one of Chinnor’s earlier public workshops

Over the next few weeks, the final pieces of work currently being worked on, will be completed by the Chinnor Neighbourhood Plan (CNP) Steering Group, resulting in a draft Neighbourhood Plan document ready for the series of legal steps before a final version is presented to the whole village at a referendum,  planned for May next year.

The timetable for the run up to the referendum starts with the updated draft plan being submitted to Chinnor Parish Council at the end of November for its review and ratification.

After taking on board any comments from the Parish Council, the CNP Steering Group will present an Examination Version of the plan in December to South Oxfordshire District Council who will arrange for the examination by an independent, qualified Planning Inspector to ensure that the document meets all the legal and statutory requirements of a Neighbourhood Plan.

Peter Brook, secretary of the Steering Group, explaned: “This next version of the Neighbourhood Plan for Chinnor is the result of an immense amount of hard work by teams of volunteers from the village to make sure that we have a document that protects the village as much as it can from badly planned development. We are developing policies on a whole range of matters including the environment, open spaces, infrastructure, community facilities, transport, parking, employment, shopping, education and young people. It is important that all planning decisions are based on a robust vision for Chinnor to help ensure that we take as much control as possible of our future as a community.”

Following the work of the appointed inspector, the Steering Group will incorporate any of the examiners comments and prepare a final submission version of the Neighbourhood Plan that is submitted to South Oxfordshire District Council who will then be responsible to carrying out the final public consultation with Statutory and Local Bodies and all the people who live, work and carry out business in Chinnor Parish.

Website: www.chinnorneighbourplan.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinnorNeighbourhoodPlan