Neighbourhood Plan

Latest Update: 4th December 2022

Following a very success consultation on 3rd/4th December (54 visitors in total), all the presentation materials used can now be viewed by following the links:

Presentation Deck

Definitive Map

Character Assessment areas

Executive Summary of output from Housing Needs Assessment

 

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Update: 21st June 2022

5 days left to complete your Housing Needs Survey!

The entire village (literally every house) should now have received their questionnaire, asking about the housing needs of the household and the survey is now open for responses until 25th June - we want to hear from anyone that lives/has a property here and that includes owners, renters, second home owners & holiday let owners, whether you are full-time/part-time or non-residents

If you will not be in the village before 25th June to pick up the paper version of your survey off the doormat, please send an email to: walberswickNDP@gmail.com and we will send you a code so that you can fill it out online.

If you are in the village and were expecting a survey, but have not received one, please email: walberswickNDP@gmail.com and we will be sure to get one to you

(Note: Everyone receiving a paper copy of the survey also has the option to complete the survey online using a unique code printed on every survey form, just under the picture of the Walberswick sign on the front page - just go to http://qa.1sixty.net/ and put your code in there)

A Housing Needs Survey is a vital piece of work and will help us understand the need for additional housing (if any) in Walberswick; this might be affordable housing for young people who have grown up in the village, housing with disabled access, sheltered housing, etc. etc.

The assessment and questionnaire is being organised on our behalf by Community Action Suffolk (CAS) - the survey does include asking questions about household finances that some may find too detailed, however no questions are mandatory (there is a "skip question" option on every question) and it is a tried and tested means of obtaining the data vital to accurately assess the future housing needs of an area and the benefit of this data being collected and analysed by external specialists is that all data will be logged outside of the village; your individual data will not be reported back to the steering group.

Thank you

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Update: 13th June 2022

Please complete your Housing Needs Survey!

The entire village (literally every house) should now have received their questionnaire, asking about the housing needs of the household and the survey is now open for responses until 25th June - we want to hear from anyone that lives/has a property here and that includes owners, renters, second home owners & holiday let owners, whether you are full-time/part-time or non-residents

If you will not be in the village between 11th June and 25th June to pick up the paper version of your survey off the doormat, please send an email to: walberswickNDP@gmail.com and we will send you a code so that you can fill it out online.

If you are in the village and were expecting a survey, but have not received one, please email: walberswickNDP@gmail.com and we will be sure to get one to you

(Note: Everyone receiving a paper copy of the survey also has the option to complete the survey online using a unique code printed on every survey form, just under the picture of the Walberswick sign on the front page - just go to http://qa.1sixty.net/ and put your code in there)

A Housing Needs Survey is a vital piece of work and will help us understand the need for additional housing (if any) in Walberswick; this might be affordable housing for young people who have grown up in the village, housing with disabled access, sheltered housing, etc. etc.

The assessment and questionnaire is being organised on our behalf by Community Action Suffolk (CAS) - the survey does include asking questions about household finances that some may find too detailed, however no questions are mandatory (there is a "skip question" option on every question) and it is a tried and tested means of obtaining the data vital to accurately assess the future housing needs of an area and the benefit of this data being collected and analysed by external specialists is that all data will be logged outside of the village; your individual data will not be reported back to the steering group.

Thank you

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Update: 2nd June 2022

You may remember that the key importance of Walberswick having an NDP is that it is literally the only thing the village can do that has legal standing in the planning application process with East Suffolk District Council (ESDC). Once we have a ratified NDP, ESDC is compelled to take the NDP into account when considering planning applications for Walberswick, unlike comments made by individuals, or even the Parish Council for that matter. So if you care about the type and amount of development that goes on in Walberswick in the years to come, it is vital that you help support the development of the NDP.

We are now clear on most of the “chapters” that will make up the main document:

Safe Spaces - this will bring together all the previous work done on traffic and speeding in the village to form specific proposals

Landscape and built environment – this will include a “character assessment” of every street in Walberswick to help define what makes the character of that particular part of Walberswick special, along with helping to protect particular views that are precious to those that live here

Environment & Sustainability  - This will pick up on a lot of the excellent work and suggestions coming out of the original Parish Plan, along with some new aspects, such as the Foreshore. A foreshore working party is currently being set up and led by Councilor Tucker, who is now looking for volunteers to help look at the importance and value to Walberswick of our foreshore. If anyone here is interested in helping with the foreshore working party, please contact Vanessa or any member of the NDP steering group

Housing Needs Assessment – This survey is a vital piece of work that will help us understand the need for additional housing (if any) in Walberswick; this might be affordable housing for young people who have grown up in the village, housing with disabled access, sheltered housing, etc. etc. The entire village (literally every house) will receive a questionnaire on the weekend of 11th/12th June asking about the housing needs of that household and the survey will be open for responses until 25th June. The assessment and questionnaire is being organised on our behalf by Community Action Suffolk (CAS) - their survey does include asking questions about household finances that some may find too detailed however it is a tried and tested means of obtaining the data vital to accurately assess the future housing needs of an area and the benefit of this data being collected and analysed by external specialists is that all data will be logged outside of the village; your individual data will not be reported back to the steering group.

Please fill in the questionnaire when you receive it – either online (ideally) or the paper version which is freeposted back to CAS

Tell your friends and neighbours about the HNS so they know about it and are encouraged to fill it out

If you are a leader of a group that meets in Walberswick, please mention it at one of your meetings – please note that if you would like someone from the steering group to come along and talk to your group about the HNS or any other aspect of the NDP, we would be more than happy to do so

In summary we remain on track to have working version of the NDP which we can put to a vote in Walberswick within the next 12-18 months and you be hearing a lot more from us over that time as we explore potential ways forward and their appeal to the village. In the meantime the best way you can show support for this piece of work is to complete your HNS when you receive it on 11th/12th June.

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Update: 19th October 2021

The Terms Of Reference for the NDP Steering Group were formally approved by WPC at their meeting on 11th October 2021. Follo the link to view the NDP Steering Group Terms Of Reference as approved by WPC

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Latest Update: 2nd September 2021

With support from the Parish Council, work on developing a Walberswick Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) has begun.  Adopting an NDP is now an essential requirement for all towns and villages that want to gain better control over the planning process, protect the landscape & heritage assets, and set a plan for the future.

It will build on the great work done previously on our Parish Plan and will be a highly consultative process that seeks to build a vision for Walberswick that we can all get behind.

To kick things off, the NDP Steering Group will be hosting two drop in sessions at the Heritage Hut on Sundays 5th and 12th September from noon until 4pm.  Please drop by to see what it is all about. It's also a great chance to see the beautiful renovation of the Heritage Hut.    
 

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Neighbourhood planning was introduced in the Localism Act 2011. It is an important and powerful tool that gives communities statutory powers to shape how their communities develop.

In simple terms a neighbourhood plan is:

  • A document that sets out planning policies for the neighbourhood area – planning policies are used to decide whether to approve planning applications
  • Written by the local community, the people who know and love the area, rather than the Local Planning Authority
  • A powerful tool to ensure the community gets the right types of development, in the right place
  • More information on Neighbourhood Planning can be found by clicking on the following link: What is a Neighbourhood Plan? (Note: this is hosted on an external website and opens in a new window)

In February 2020 Walberswick Parish Council (WPC) resolved to undertake the creation of a Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) for Walberswick and to apply for the designation of the area to be covered to be the same as Walberswick Parish, as shown on the Suffolk County Council "Definitive Map". It was also scheduled to be an agenda item for the Annual Parish Meeting in May 2020

The intention to create an NDP was duly notifed to East Suffolk District Council (ESDC) and the designated area was approved in March 2020.

With the advent of COVID and the associated "lock-downs" all work on the NDP then effectively stopped and the Annual Parish Meeting for 2020 was cancelled

In May 2021 WPC resolved to re-launch the NDP work and organise a meeting with ESDC to agree a way forward. A Steering Group was also formed and it was also made clear that while the NDP would be supported by Walberswick Parish Council (both financially and with resources) it would not be owned by the Parish Council and would act independently of it.

As at August 2021 the NDP Steering Group members are:

Andrew Lewis (Chair and co-ordinator)

Josie Bassinette (Document Owner)

Paul Bradley (Lead on Planning and Heritage)

Mark Knight (ESDC liaison and grant funding)

Rebecca Whiting (WPC Representative)

The NDP is again intended as an Agenda item for the Annual Parish Meeting scheduled to take place on 14th September 2021

It was agreed by the Steering Group that a key input to the NDP would be the previous excellent work done on the creation of a Parish Plan, which the NDP would replace; this work can be accessed on the left of this page

Any questions or offers of help with the NDP should be addressed via email to: andrew.wpcouncillor@gmail.com