Introduction To Our Neighbourhood plan

What is a Neighbourhood Plan?

In late 2019 Ardleigh Parish Council agreed to begin the process of creating a Neighbourhood Plan for Ardleigh. Below is a brief introduction to Neighbourhood Planning. We are hoping to encourage everyone in the community to contribute as much as possible, this is a community-led project and we want you all to have your say.

A Neighbourhood Plan is a document that enables local communities to have a say in the future development of their local area. It can be used to:

Choose where future development should be built including shops, homes and offices.
Decide what infrastructure should be provided.
Designate local green spaces.
Influence what new buildings should look like.

A Neighbourhood Plan must meet certain basic conditions if it is to be approved.

It must have regard to national policy.
It must contribute to the achievement of sustainable development.
It must conform to the strategic policies set out in Tendring District Council’s Local Plan.

A Neighbourhood Plan can be used to guide local development but cannot be used to stop it altogether. There will also be areas that are beyond the scope of a Neighbourhood Plan, for example traffic management.

Neighbourhood planning was introduced in the Localism Act 2011. It will sit alongside the Local Plan and will achieve the same legal status as a Local Plan once it has been approved at a referendum. This will mean that decisions on planning applications will have to consider both the Local Plan and the Neighbourhood Plan.

Neighbourhood Planning can be a long process and we mean to keep you informed every step of the way. Over the coming months we hope to roll out a process of community consultation including questionnaires and other community activities.

The Neighbourhood Plan is an opportunity for the whole community to get involved in deciding the future of the Parish. We would love your input and involvement. If you would like to join us or provide us with your thoughts, please see the Have Your Say page.

You can find useful links which can provide further information on Neighbourhood Planning on the Further Resources page.

Key dates/ Timeline

11 November 2019- Parish Council resolved to begin the Process of Developing a Neighbourhood Plan for Ardleigh

5 January 2020- we wrote to Tendring District Council to request the whole of the Parish be designated as the 'Neighbourhood Area'

20 January 2020 consultation opened on Neighbourhood Area see https://www.tendringdc.gov.uk/community/consultation-on-ardleigh-neighbourhood-plan-area

16 March 2020 consultation closed

April 2020 A Working Group including Councillors and members of the public together with a Steering Group was established and began meeting to help to progress the plan.

8 June 2020 Tendring District Council's Planning Policy and Local Plan Committee formally agreed the designation of the Neighbourhood Area

July-August First questionnaire looking at Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT)

September- results published and next survey designed to gather more detailed feedback

November 2020 to January 2021 Big Ardleigh Consultation Questionnaire live with posts and social media campaign.

February to March 2021 Initial results of questionnaire analysed and shared. Liaison with our consultant to prepare the draft Plan.

The working and steering groups continued to meet on Zoom, holding the 50th meeting since April 2020!

April to May 2021. Further work preparing the draft plan and associated policies. Discussion with Tendring District Council about emerging policies and the Tendring/Colchester Borders Garden Community.

June - November 2021

Working with Planning Direct on Green Spaces Assessments and finalising Policy Headings.

Discussions with Tendring District Council and Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community about effects on Crockleford Heath

Updating the Village Design Statement and incorporating into the Neighbourhood Plan.

8 August 2022- 12 noon on 23 September 2022.

Pre-Submission consultation (Regulation 14) on draft plan see 'our plan' tab

13 December 2022 Final Plan submitted to Tendring District Council.

15 May to 26 June 2023, 6-week consultation for Regulation 15-16 Tendring District Council (tendringdc.uk) . In-person consultation events at Ardleigh Village Hall: 22nd May 6 – 8 pm; 1st June 11 -2 pm.

14th June Mrs Ann Skippers was appointed as the Examiner for the Ardleigh Neighbourhood Plan. The Examination for the Ardleigh Neighbourhood Plan formally opened on Wednesday 12th July 2023. On the 18th of August, the Examiner sent the Council an Interim Note of Findings which detailed a number of questions and matters of clarification. See also Tendring District Council | Ardleigh Neighbourhood Plan (tendringdc.gov.uk)

22 January 2024. Further focused consultation launched by Tendring District Council.

Focused Regulation 16 Consultation 2024

Between May and June 2023, the Regulation 16 consultation of the Ardleigh Neighbourhood Plan took place. On completion an Examiner was jointly appointed by the Parish and District council.

Once the Parish and District Council had responded to the Examiner’s Interim Note, the Examiner raised a number of issues that needed addressing before the Examination could continue.

The specific matters are listed below and are now open for a focused public consultation:

Schedule of Proposed Significant Changes document - the Examiner has proposed a number of significant changes as well as other modifications to the Neighbourhood Plan in order to ensure it meets the basic conditions.

HRA & SEA combined documentation. A Habitats Regulation Assessment (HRA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Screening Report was prepared by Essex County Council Place Services on behalf of the District Council in support of the Neighbourhood Plan. The three statutory consultation bodies (Natural England, Historic England and the Environment Agency) were not formally consulted on the Screening Report and no formal decision by the District Council was made on the Screening Report. A consultation was held between 16th November and the 18th December 2023 where comments from Natural England and Historic England were received. The District Council was therefore able to publish our formal decision as Competent Authority stating that the Screening Report now meets the requirements of the Regulations set out in regulations 9(2)(b) and 12(5) of the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004.

NPPF - on 20th December 2023 Government published a new version of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). Comments are invited on this revised NPPF with regard to how the Neighbourhood Plan meets the basic conditions.

You can view and make comments on all 3 matters via the Consultation Portal https://tendringdc.oc2.uk/

Alternatively, you can write to us at – Planning Policy, Tendring District Council, Town Hall, Station Road, Clacton-on-Sea, Essex CO15 1SE.
Hard copies of the documentation can be viewed at reception in the Town Hall during office hours.

The consultation will run from Monday January 22nd for 6 weeks until 5pm on Monday 4th March.

Please note: This consultation is a focused exercise, relating only to the above-mentioned matters. Previously submitted comments still stand and do not need resubmitting or confirmation from the Council that these representations have been received. The Council is not receiving any further representations on any other matters.

June 2024. The Final Plan is published with the examiners amendments and Tendring District Council have agreed to proceed to referendum. The General Election delays the date of the referendum until September 2024. A copy of the plan can be found via the 'our plan' link below.

12 September 2024. The referendum will be held for Electors to decide “Do you want TENDRING DISTRICT COUNCIL to use the Neighbourhood Plan for THE PARISH OF ARDLEIGH to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?”

See the Tendring District Council link: https://www.tendringdc.gov.uk/content/ardleigh-neighbourhood-planning-referendum

13 September 2024 Result declared. Ardleigh residents voted in favour of the proposal. The Neighbourhood Plan is 'made'.

Our Plan

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Please send your questions to ardleighnp@gmail.com. We will post replies to any 'frequently asked' questions here.

WHy we got involved

Stan's story

Carolyn's story

My name is Stanley Sly, I am 17 and I live right in the middle of Ardleigh. I am beginning my second year of A-Levels at Colchester Sixth Form College. I live with my parents and younger sister, who will be joining me at Sixth Form this year.
I have lived in the same house in Ardleigh for my entire life. I went to primary school in Dedham and secondary school in Manningtree. Consequently, I feel I know them as well, if not better, than Ardleigh. For me, Ardleigh has always been the place I live but not necessarily somewhere I feel part of. I went to Beavers, Cubs and Scouts in Ardleigh Village Hall. But played football in Lawford.
Now that I’m a teenager, I feel I need to be in Ardleigh less and less. For me, it's a place to travel from and, for others, a place to travel through. But I believe Ardleigh has a lot more to offer.
In the next couple of years, I will be going to university, but will always come home to Ardleigh. I would hope that my home village will develop a hub for young people to spend leisure time and social time. Some of Ardleigh’s neighbouring villages have reasons for people to visit, and well-publicised opportunities for its residents to come together. I feel that Ardleigh has the potential to be a centre for young people and I believe I can help achieve this.
I would like to get involved with the parish council and the working group as I can offer a young person’s perspective on the parish and what needs improving. I would like to help the working group engage with young people. It will help me improve my own collaborative skills by working with the councillors and other adults. It will also improve my understanding of the local community and society as a whole.

Carolyn's story

I became interested in the Neighbourhood Plan before I decided to offer my services as a Parish Councillor in May, 2019. I was interested in the idea that a local community could get involved and have its say on how they would like their community developed and I was keen to see if I could get involved to make it happen for Ardleigh, where I have lived for the past 14 years. It was encouraging to find out that Ardleigh Parish Council were already planning to produce a Neighbourhood Plan and so that was a great reason for me to join the Council. We began the process at the beginning of 2020. Since then I have been working alongside some very dedicated and knowledgeable people. We formed a Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group and Working Group who are responsible for making it happen.

What is the point of a Neighbourhood Plan though? An organisation called Locality is a national membership network supporting local community organisations to be strong and successful. They say: "the whole point of a neighbourhood plan is that it is community led and a neighbourhood planning group will need to talk to lots of people locally – residents, businesses, community groups, schools – to find out what’s important to them about where they live, what they’d like to improve and what their vision is for the local area."

Our Neighbourhood Planning Groups want to ensure that we listen to and reflect on the desires of our community. We are supported by a professional company called Planning Direct, who will lead us, using their expertise, through the processes of creating, consulting and producing the Ardleigh Parish Neighbourhood Plan. It will be a lengthy process but we hope to complete it within two years. There are many changes and challenges ahead of us, not least the effects of COVID-19; the planned North Essex Garden Community, the Government's Planning White Paper. We will need more people to get involved with various skills and interests as we move this Neighbourhood Plan along and by keeping the community up to date with progress we hope that a few more will join the Working Group. It's a really interesting project, made all the more special by hearing from local people on what they love about Ardleigh - and what they would like to see improve and protect it.

If anyone is interested to learn more there is information on these pages

Carolyn Mason
Parish Councillor

Helen's story

Carolyn's story

Helen's story

I have always been passionate about the residents of the Parish of Ardleigh having as much involvement and say on the issues that affect the village. I retired from being a Local Government Officer and moved to Ardleigh nearly five years ago. I was immediately invited to join in activities and being keen to get involved started attending the Parish Council meetings and joined as a Parish Councillor about a year later. It is an honor to represent the residents but it is more important to facilitate residents having their own say in what happens in the village. The Neighbourhood plan facilitates you giving your views on what you want or would like to see in the village.

Ardleigh Parish covers a very large geographical area with vastly differing needs and therefore although you may not live in or near the center of village your say is just as important. New estates and new residents are coming into the Parish all the time and we welcome your views as much as we welcome the views of those who have lived in Ardleigh for a long time.

As the Chair of the Village Hall Management Committee, we would very much like to know what you would want from your Village Hall. At the moment we have a Pre-School using the Hall, which is a valuable facility for the younger generation. In addition what else would you like in the Village, we need your involvement to make it happen and we value every contribution.

Helen Fontaine
Former Parish Councillor