A Rutland resident has written in to Oakham Nub News sharing their thoughts on the recent and spreading introduction of Local and Neighbourhood Plans.

Ramsay Ross asks: do the public have the 'Big Picture' of Local and Neighbourhood Plans?

As set out by Rutland County Council, a Neighbourhood Plan "settles a vision for the future of a neighbourhood, parish, or town and sets out how this vision will be realised through planning and development. The document must reflect the views of the residents of the Plan Area."

A referendum is then held to discern whether or not Rutland residents wish to accept the plan.

The key question asked in the referendum is: do you want Rutland County Council to use the neighbourhood plan for the [AREA] to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?

Neighbourhood Plans have been accepted in Oakham and Barleythorpe and Langham, while consultations and referendums are being held in Market Overton, Ketton and Tinwell, and Uppingham.

However, one Rutland resident has questions whether or not local people have the big picture when it comes to these plans.

Ramsay Ross writes:

In the past week RCC have helpfully sent out a Newsletter with a map showing the sites that have been submitted for possible inclusion in the new Local Plan, together with a timeline for its approval and adoption. Uppingham are presently consulting on a refreshed Neighbourhood Plan.

People are generally not opposed to housebuilding. They recognise that we require more homes for people and that with the increase in people comes an increase in the need for services, be that health, education, or local roads and transport.

Rutland is the smallest county in England. Developments are also taking place at scale in our adjoining counties.

These thoughts led me to ask whether we really understand what our area and county will look like 20 years hence, or whether development is taking place piece-meal within an information silo, with no "Big Picture" provided for the public.

So, what is missing that would allow people to understand what their future might look like. I suggest that there are FOUR pieces of additional information that we require.

i) How many people: Councils can assess the number of people associated with any housing development, based upon national occupancy rates. These figures should be front and centre of all Local and Neighbourhood Plans to provide context. Presently the information is either absent or hard to find. Without such information how can people understand the adequacy of any planned infrastructure investment?

ii) Where are the Infrastructure Plans: For reasons of public confidence and efficient planning, both locally and nationally, we should insist on a detailed, funded, Infrastructure Plan to accompany all Local Plans. In the absence of plans you cannot effectively deliver for the public.

iii) How does my community benefit: There is concern about the proposed solar farm developments at Mallard Pass and Wing. We know that we must reduce emissions from energy generation and that there will be consequent impacts arising from such change.

Whether it is wind or solar we should first ask 'what is the UK added value in this construction project'. Solar panels typically come from China.

Secondly, communities will be disrupted in the construction phase and countryside views will forever be poorer. Hosting communities must receive a small financial benefit in their energy bills from any major infrastructure development.

iv) Recognise Cross-border and Environmental Impacts: Far too little attention is paid to the approvals of our neighbouring counties - there are no walls around our small county - and the impact on people's future lived experience in Rutland. Two examples may assist.

In 2021 N. Northamptonshire council approved one of the UK's largest waste-to-energy plants at Rockingham, complete with two 220ft chimneys. A crematorium is also to be built at Gretton.

The Local Plan for Rutland that was rejected in late 2021, envisaged over 2000 houses being constructed on the St George's Barracks site. This site is just 6 miles distant from the c. 2000 homes to be built at Stamford North (this including 650 homes at Quarry Farm in Rutland).

Rutland CC (and Parish and Town councils) are simply carrying out a mechanical process that is required by Govt; they have no discretion. It is our Government that has created a system that does not enable adequate planning of infrastructure or the public understanding of long-term community impact. Consequently, public confidence in decision making around Local Plans is unnecessarily damaged.

Parish and town councils such as Uppingham, are in the process of consulting on their Neighbourhood Plans and we have the time-line for the revised Local Plan for Rutland due in 2025. I would suggest that residents must ask elected representatives to bring forward additional supporting information that will allow more informed consideration of housing developments.

What do you think?

Get in touch and share your views by emailing [email protected].

Alternatively, find out more about the Neighbourhood and Local Plans on the Rutland County Council website.

The views expressed in this article do not represent the views of Nub News.