Neighbourhood Plan

Housing Needs Assessment:

As part of the Parish agreed action to generate a Neighbourhood Plan, the Parish Council has commissioned a professional Housing Needs Assessment (HNA).

A HNA is a necessary part of a Neighbourhood Plan.

It is based on the available real data on our present housing stock, our population and predictions of future population growth and demographics. It has been produced by Dr Len Gibbs PhD, MA, a specialist in this field, and Urban Vision Enterprise CIC, the specialist planners who have been assisting us in the opposition to the Acton Hill / Wildwood planned development, within the present South Staffs DC Local Plan. Urban Vision are assisting us in drafting  the Parish Neighbourhood Plan.

One of the conclusions of the HNA is that we need any new housing within the Parish to reflect the shortage of smaller, lower cost housing to accommodate those who we need to work within the Parish and younger families linked to the Parish.

The Neighbourhood Plan will reflect this. This is likely in conflict with what developers will wish to build, to maximise their profits if the Acton Hill proposals remain in the SSDC plans after the formal Examination of our submitted objections later this month. We will not know the outcome of the Examination for some months; in the meantime the Parish Neighbourhood Plan will be drafted and shared with all Parish residents for your input. Its objectives, enshrined in the planning laws, are to set appropriate minimum standards for design, extent and location of future housing development in the Parish.

More news will follow.