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After many years in the making, the Looe Neighbourhood Plan has been adopted with a 'YES' majority (roughly 80% of those who voted) in response to the following question:
“Do you want Cornwall Council to use the neighbourhood plan for Looe to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?”
But what exactly is a Neighbourhood Plan?
It may not sound very exciting, but the 120-page Neighbourhood Plan is hugely significant for Looe because it contains a set of 50 policies that reflect the town's vision for the future based on extensive community consultations and give us control over how our neighbourhood develops.
Having now been adopted by a ‘yes’ vote at referendum, the Neighbourhood Plan forms a legally binding blueprint - an official document that has to be taken into account by Cornwall Council when deciding planning applications.
Without a completed plan in place Looe would have lost the opportunity to control what form of building additions or new development takes place, where it happens and what it looks like, leaving decision making in the hands of developers and the planning authority.
Without a completed plan in place Looe would have lost the opportunity to control what form of building additions or new development takes place, where it happens and what it looks like, leaving decision making in the hands of developers and the planning authority.
The Neighbourhood Plan was produced by a team of ordinary members of the community of Looe together with the Looe Town Council with the latter also providing administrative support.
The area covered by the Neighbourhood Plan is outlined in red on the map below.
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Neighbourhood Area for Looe (click map to enlarge) |
The Plan contains 50 or more policies aimed at:
- Limiting the number of second homes by having a 'Principle Residency' clause on page 70 of the Plan,
- Keeping local families in the town by promoting good quality affordable housing development that is small in scale up to 25 units,
- Preventing any further large-scale housing development within or near the boundaries of Looe,
- Enabling the development of business space to provide employment opportunities for local people to work close to where they live,
- Improving the quality of new builds and extensions to maintain the distinctive heritage and maritime character of Looe,
- Respecting the historic buildings and structures of the town and Conservation Area,
- Maintaining the town centres as vibrant retail and social destinations,
- Supporting the adaptation of Looe against rising sea levels due to climate change. Any forthcoming flood alleviation scheme subject to a separate consultation process by Looe Harbour Commission,
- Improving bathing water quality, tackling climate change, protecting and enhancing our natural environment and preserving our local green spaces,
- Compelling applicants for building development to take account of land stability and drainage management.
The above is a summary of some of the policies of the Neighbourhood Plan. It is a large document so look for the policy statements i.e. those in a green panel as it is these that count - the rest of the text provides justification and explains the intention of the policy. A copy of the Plan can be found here:
Looe NDP Referendum on 12 May Result:
The Looe NDP embraces the following principles of sustainable development:
So what is Sustainable Development?
In a nutshell: meeting the community’s needs of the present without harming the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
To get the best outcome for our Town, our Neighbourhood Plan tries to meet the needs of the people who live, work and visit Looe in a way that supports sustainable development.
The guiding principles of sustainable development are:
- Living within the planet’s environmental limits – by protecting and enhancing our natural and man-made environment, and responding to climate change.
- Ensuring a strong, healthy and just society – by meeting present and future needs for the housing, work and services that support the wellbeing of all our community.
- Achieving a sustainable economy – by supporting actions that build prosperity for all and use resources wisely.
- Promoting good governance – by ensuring that we are all involved in creating the Looe Neighbourhood Plan.
There are two tiers of plan-making locally that sit below the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) as follows:
The Local (Regional) Plan:
Being a unitary authority there is only one LPA in Cornwall and only one 'Local Plan' which covers the whole of the region called The Cornwall Local Plan. It comprises a suite of documents which establishes the overall context for future growth and development within the county and sets the framework for all subsequent development plan documents.
The main Strategic Policies document sets out strategic land use policies and housing targets to meet Cornwall’s economic, environmental and social needs and aims for the future but is not intended to include any finer detail relating to specific neighbourhoods.
The Plan simply identifies the quantity, the broad location and some key sites in the county for new housing, community facilities, retail and employment. It identifies land to be protected from development, such as areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) and open space. Its policies, together with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and any Neighbourhood Plan, forms the basis for planning decisions.
- The Local (Regional) Plan - prepared by the Local Planning Authority (LPA)
- Neighbourhood Plans - a new level prepared by a Neighbourhood Community
The Local (Regional) Plan:
Being a unitary authority there is only one LPA in Cornwall and only one 'Local Plan' which covers the whole of the region called The Cornwall Local Plan. It comprises a suite of documents which establishes the overall context for future growth and development within the county and sets the framework for all subsequent development plan documents.
The main Strategic Policies document sets out strategic land use policies and housing targets to meet Cornwall’s economic, environmental and social needs and aims for the future but is not intended to include any finer detail relating to specific neighbourhoods.
The Plan simply identifies the quantity, the broad location and some key sites in the county for new housing, community facilities, retail and employment. It identifies land to be protected from development, such as areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) and open space. Its policies, together with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and any Neighbourhood Plan, forms the basis for planning decisions.
Neighbourhood Plans (Parish or Town):
The idea of a Neighbourhood Plan, introduced in the Localism Act 2011, is to enable local residents to come together through a forum or parish/ town council and say exactly where they think any new houses, businesses, shops, supermarkets or new facilities should go in their particular area.
A Neighbourhood Plan cannot be allowed to conflict with the policies of the Local Plan, but can identify specific sites or the broad location of any new development, and control the size, type, design and form that such development takes. Once in place a Neighbourhood Plan will become the community's blue-print for change and a material planning consideration that will protect against unwanted development in the locality that conflicts with local wishes.
The idea of a Neighbourhood Plan, introduced in the Localism Act 2011, is to enable local residents to come together through a forum or parish/ town council and say exactly where they think any new houses, businesses, shops, supermarkets or new facilities should go in their particular area.
A Neighbourhood Plan cannot be allowed to conflict with the policies of the Local Plan, but can identify specific sites or the broad location of any new development, and control the size, type, design and form that such development takes. Once in place a Neighbourhood Plan will become the community's blue-print for change and a material planning consideration that will protect against unwanted development in the locality that conflicts with local wishes.
Government's ten-step process for the production of a Neighbourhood Plan:
1. Define the Neighbourhood Area
2. Designate the Neighbourhood Forum (in the case of Looe this is the Town Council)
3. LPA duty to support (in terms of agreeing the area, the forum and providing general guidance and advice as to the shape and content of the Plan)
4. Prepare the Plan
5. LPA validation check (to see whether it is in line with the strategic objectives of the Core Strategy)
6. Independent Examination
7. Examiners Report
8. Plan modifications
9. Referendum (see below)
10. Adoption by local authority
What is the referendum?
Following an examination, the plan needs to be subject to a referendum, where 50% of the votes cast need to be in favour of the plan. As with a general election, the vote is not based on the total population of the area, rather the number of people who actually turn out to vote. If the vote is in favour of the plan the local authority are legally obliged to adopt it for plan making and development control purposes. Its policies will be a material consideration in determining planning applications and appeals for the next ten to fifteen years, after which it will be reviewed and can be updated as necessary.
1. Define the Neighbourhood Area
2. Designate the Neighbourhood Forum (in the case of Looe this is the Town Council)
3. LPA duty to support (in terms of agreeing the area, the forum and providing general guidance and advice as to the shape and content of the Plan)
4. Prepare the Plan
5. LPA validation check (to see whether it is in line with the strategic objectives of the Core Strategy)
6. Independent Examination
7. Examiners Report
8. Plan modifications
9. Referendum (see below)
10. Adoption by local authority
What is the referendum?
Following an examination, the plan needs to be subject to a referendum, where 50% of the votes cast need to be in favour of the plan. As with a general election, the vote is not based on the total population of the area, rather the number of people who actually turn out to vote. If the vote is in favour of the plan the local authority are legally obliged to adopt it for plan making and development control purposes. Its policies will be a material consideration in determining planning applications and appeals for the next ten to fifteen years, after which it will be reviewed and can be updated as necessary.
Looe
Looe NDP referendum took place on 12 May 2022. Please see below for further information:
- Looe Neighbourhood Plan
- Looe Neighbourhood Plan Appendix 1
- Looe Examination Report
- Looe Consultation Statement
- Looe Basic Conditions Statement
- Looe Plan Proposal Decision
- Looe Plan Proposal Decision Approval
- Looe Information for Voters
- Looe Information Statement
- Looe Notice of Referendum
- Looe Notice of Poll
