The Independent Examiner has been appointed and is now reviewing our Neighbourhood Plan, see here for more background. The Examiner has decided to hold a public hearing; here are the details. Benenden Neighbourhood Development Plan 2020-2036  Notice of the holding of a Public Hearing  I have been appointed by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council with theRead more about Independent Examiner: Hearing[…]

The Neighbourhood Development Plan will govern the shape and future of Benenden parish for the foreseeable future and villagers will have the chance to vote for or against it at an upcoming referendum (date to be confirmed). Here the plan’s architects and opponents put their views for and against. Those following Benenden’s Neighbourhood Development PlanRead more about Parish Magazine Special April 2021[…]

With a special edition in April 2021 on the Neighbourhood Development Plan, the Parish Magazine editors asked some pertinent questions of the NDP team, and those with differing views to help prompt debate and discussion in the village. Q. We’ve heard that if the NDP was voted out at a referendum, then no new housesRead more about Parish Magazine April 2021: the big questions, and answers[…]

Around 90% of the public feedback received about our rough draft and two formal phases of consultation concerned the allocation of sites for new building. It’s understandable that proposed building, particularly if it’s close to one’s own home, gets the most attention, but the NDP is actually about much, much more. The plan contains policies and projects, built on your input fromRead more about Our Neighbourhood Development plan: It’s about so much more than building sites[…]

I hope that you managed to feed back on the Benenden NDP before consultation closed mid-December.  This final phase of public consultation (known as Regulation 16 – more here) followed public consultations in autumn 2019 (Regulation 14 – more here), and on our Rough Draft in spring that year. An independent examiner will study our plan, our supporting documents, Tunbridge Wells BoroughRead more about A Reminder: How the NDP got off the ground[…]

As outlined in the November 2020 Parish Magazine, and published earlier on this website TWBC has published Benenden’s draft Neighbourhood Development Plan, and opened a further period of formal consultation (known as Regulation 16). The Plan remains available from their website. Consultation ran for a six-week period from 9am on Friday 30 October to 5pmRead more about The next phase of consultation is now closed …[…]

Benenden Parish Council submitted the Benenden Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council on 2 October 2020 in accordance with Regulation 15 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (as amended). In accordance with Regulation 16 the TWBC is inviting representations on the Benenden Neighbourhood Development Plan for a six-week period from 9amRead more about Consultation is open…[…]

Benenden’s Neighbourhood Development Plan is finally moving to the next stage.  Following village workshops and working group sessions a Rough Draft was produced.  Consultation with the village and other stakeholders ran from 23rd February – 6th April 2019 and we used the feedback to shape our first formal draft.  This draft was launched to theRead more about Neighbourhood Development Plan moves to the next stage[…]

After a series of meetings, much discussion and study of national and borough planning policy, the Regulation 14 Review team have completed their work.  As I have described in the pages of this magazine over the past few months, we recieved a great deal of comments and suggestions, plus of course a petition from overRead more about Regulation 14 Consultation completed[…]

It may seem to many that the Neighbourhood Plan has been going on forever, and that things seem to have gone quiet. In fact, the Review Group (see my previous article) has just completed a thorough examination of the feedback we received to the formal Regulation 14 Plan.  Now individual Working Groups are making changes to the policies and text within eachRead more about And the work goes on …[…]