- Screen Colours:
- Normal
- Black & Yellow
Rushmere St Andrew Neighbourhood Plan
A group of residents, alongside members of the Parish Council are drawing up a Neighbourhood Plan for the parish. The parish was formally designated a neighbourhood area by East Suffolk Council in February 2020 and we will be developing a neighbourhood plan for the parish over the course of the next few years. People4Places is supporting the working in the development of a draft document.
East Suffolk Council has recently adopted the District Plan, also referred to as the Suffolk Coastal Local Plan. The Neighbourhood Plan will provide local detail to the adopted District Plan and to highlight the unique qualities in our parish. It will be used to help preserve and enhance the environment and to guide future development in the Parish.
Once “made” (i.e. completed), the Rushmere St Andrew Neighbourhood Plan becomes a legal document which will be reviewed from time to time and remain valid for the next 15 years or so. Planning applications made in Rushmere St Andrew will then have to be determined in accordance with both the Local and Neighbourhood Plans.
It is also about protecting what we like about the community we live in and to look at how the parish should evolve and improve.
At the end of last year residents had an opportunity to help the team decide what should be in the Neighbourhood Plan. We had over 200 responses. Thank you for all the residents that completed the questionnaires. The Resident's Survey Results and the Youth Survey Results contain a comprehensive report of all the results.
The Neighbourhood Plan Working Group is also working with Places4People, Alison Farmer Associates and AECOM to produce a landscape character assessment and design codes for the parish and identifying locally important buildings and open spaces in the parish. We now also have pleasure in publishing the Landscape Character Assessment document.
We have summarised the feedback to the resident's survey, details of the landscape appraisal for the parish, draft building design guideline that has been prepared and are seeking your views on the potential designation of Local Green Spaces and Locally Important Buildings. Here is the Summary Leaflet for you to read.
FEEDBACK
We would like your thoughts and comments on the potential important buildings and green spaces identified in the Summary Leaflet.
Please answer the questions by going online at:
https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/rushmerestandrew/
or you can email us at:
sylvia.stannard@rushmere-st-andrew.org.uk
or post comments to:
The Clerk, Rushmere St Andrew Parish Council, Tower hall, 5 Broadlands Way, Rushmere St Andrew IP4 5SU
The deadline for the feedback is Friday, 16th April 2021.
WHAT NEXT?
Over the next few weeks we are going to write the draft Neighbourhood Plan. It will include proposals for a range of topics including:
- Housing
- Natural environment
- Historic environment
- Traffic and Travel
- Services and Facilities
- Development Design
We hope to be able to consult you on the Plan in June and July and, this will include drop-in events at out public halls. Watch out for extensive publicity on how you will be able to view and comment on the Plan in the Summer.
Further Information on Neighbourhood Plans and the Working Group
Please click on the links below to access additional information about neighbourhood planning, the Rushmere St Andrew Neighbourhood Working Group, etc.
Relevant national government guidance on neighbourhood planning:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/neighbourhood-planning--2
Relevant East Suffolk Council webpages about neighbourhood planning:
https://www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk/planning/neighbourhood-planning/preparing-a-neighbourhood-plan/
To view the Suffolk Coastal Local Plan and review of the plan:
Rushmere St Andrew Parish Profile produced by East Suffolk Council (scroll down to Rushmere St Andrew and click on this link)
https://www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk/planning/neighbourhood-planning/town-and-village-profiles/
Formal Designation Neighbourhood Area
Terms of Reference Working Group
QUIET LANES
Rushmere St Andrew Parish Council, in conjunction with Rushmere St Andrew Neighbourhood Plan Working Group, is exploring opportunities to designate certain rural lanes in the parish as “Quiet Lanes” as part of a county wide project.
According to responses to the Neighbourhood Plan questionnaire, 84% of respondents supported the designation of Quiet Lanes in the parish. Quiet Lanes are a nationally recognised designation for narrow, rural roads which are shared by walkers, horse riders, cyclists and other road users. They encourage drivers to ‘Expect and Respect’ more vulnerable road users and so allow non-motorised users to enjoy rural lanes in greater safety.
Thes
e types of lanes do not impose traffic restrictions and are not enforced. Advisory signs (like the one opposite) are placed at either end of Quiet Lanes to show motorised users clearly that the road is a shared space.
We feel that this would be of real benefit to the parish and those who visit. The lanes being considered are already used by walkers, cyclists and horse riders and link with existing footpaths and bridleways in the village.
We have identified, in conjunction with Suffolk County Council (Highways), Tuddenham Lane, Playford Lane, Lamberts Lane and Seven Cottages Lane.
See lanes marked in red on the map below:
The Parish Council has agreed at the Parish Council meeting on 14th January 2021 to proceed with the designations of the identified quiet lanes. As part of the first stage of public consultation process letters were sent to residents/businesses along these lanes, a public meeting was held on 8th March 2021 and comments were invited from the public by 12th March 2021. The consultation process has now closed and all commnets received will be forwarded to Suffolk County Council, Quiet Lane Team.
This project is being funded by the Suffolk County Council Suffolk 2020 Fund and the East Suffolk Community Partnerships and Greenprint Forum.
For more information about this project see the Quiet Lanes Suffolk website - www.quietlanessuffolk.co.uk