Referendum on Neighbourhood Development Plan

Referendum on the Adoption of the Melbourne Neighbourhood Development Plan

A referendum will be held on Thursday, 7th July 2022 to decide on the question below:

'Do you want South Derbyshire to use the Neighbourhood Plan for Melbourne to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?'

Volunteers started work on the Neighbourhood Development Pin 2014 on behalf of the Parish Council in response to concerns about the amount of development taking place in Melbourne.

Between 2014 and 2016, drop in sessions were held at Melbourne Assembly Rooms for residents to say what they would like to see in a Neighbourhood Plan. All the suggestions were collated and turned into draft policies, either relating to development, or to Community Aspirations.

These policies were then built into a Draft Neighbourhood Plan and in 2017, a Residents Questionnaire was sent to all residents to say whether they approved of the policies, or wanted changes. The results from that survey were incorporated into the plan and it was finally submitted to the Planning Inspector last year.

He had some questions on the draft plan which the Parish Council answered. They responded with final changes which the Planning Inspector agreed, and SDDC have now sent out voting cards to enable the referendum to take place on 7th July in the normal polling stations.

You can find the plan, and details of all the consultations which took place, on the Parish Council web site (https://www.melbourneparishcouncil.gov.uk/neighbourhood-development-plan.html ), and there is a copy in the library.

We very much hope you will take the opportunity to vote in the referendum

Melbourne Parish Council