Last week, a referendum was held to ask residents if they wanted the Foxton Neighbourhood Plan to be considered during the planning process for the village. The majority (96.33%) of those who voted were in favour of this.
It means the Neighbourhood Plan will go forward to be adopted or ‘made’ by South Cambridgeshire District Council. It will then be an important consideration in determining planning applications in the neighbourhood area, helping to inform where new homes, shops, and offices can be built in Foxton, and what new buildings will look like.
Neighbourhood Plans can help communities influence development and protect biodiversity as part of the nature recovery network across Greater Cambridge, contributing towards the ambition to double the amount of land managed for nature in the area. They can identify areas for development and areas for protection, and have the same status as Local Plans.
The Foxton Neighbourhood Plan aims to maintain and enhance the historic assets, rural character and local distinctiveness of the village. There are also policies to protect the special landscape character and green spaces of Foxton. The plan also highlights the value of the existing community facilities and aims to ensure these are retained, while new facilities are added as needed in future.
Chair of Foxton Parish Council, Simon Buggey, said: “Foxton Parish Council is delighted that the local community has voted in favour of the Foxton Neighbourhood Plan. Local residents have been actively involved in the process of creating the plan over the last five years, through consultations and the skills of volunteers on the working group. The Parish Council is confident that the 20 planning policies will secure the best for Foxton, its community and our local historic and natural environment.”
South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Lead Cabinet Member for Planning, Cllr Dr. Tumi Hawkins, said: “Our congratulations to the residents of Foxton who have shown hard work, commitment and dedication during the past few years in getting their Neighbourhood Plan to the place where it is now. This is truly grass-roots planning where local residents directly influence the future of their village and, crucially, help to protect their local environment and biodiversity. We continue to work with 16 other communities on Neighbourhood Plans for their villages and I’m eagerly following their progress.”
Cllr Katie Thornburrow, Executive Member for Planning and Transport at Cambridge City Council, said: “Neighbourhood Plans are a really powerful tool which allow communities to influence the future of their area. I hope to see more groups come together across Greater Cambridge, learning from the experience and success of areas like Foxton that have seen their plans successfully approved.”
The Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service, a partnership between Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire District councils, has a statutory duty to support any local community preparing a neighbourhood plan. Work is continuing to prepare 16 Neighbourhood Plans for other areas, while adopted plans are already in place in Cottenham, Histon and Impington and on the former Land Settlement Association Estate at Great Abington. The Foxton Neighbourhood Plan has been developed by the local community during the past five years.