Boston Spa Parish CouncilSpring 2012
Involving the community is central to Localism and to neighbourhood planning and is key to the changes being brought in by the Government in planning future local housing and employment needs. Local communities are being encouraged to have more control and local people to have a say in what they want in their own community or parish. This includeseveryone, from young people and the elderly, to commuters, businesses, individuals and families. Councils need to involve their communities in the neighbourhood planning process in order to find out what their community thinks about more housing, employment opportunities, open spaces, and so on.
Boston Spa needs to develop its own Neighbourhood Plan to ensure that the local community and its residents are in control of the future of the village and to progress this vitally important task the Parish Council is establishing a Steering Group which will take the lead in the production of a Neighbourhood Plan. The Plan is likely to cover the period up to 2026. However it is very important that it reflects the wishes and aspirations of the whole village. For that reason it is vital that all community organisations, businesses and interested individuals have their say in what goes into it.
Boston Spa has now been selected to be part of the Government’s Front Runner scheme to encourage planning at the local level and Leeds City Council will be receiving additional funding to allow them to liase with this community and help progress and process the plan as it is developed.
The Plan will cover the whole of the Civil Parish and will involve discussions with our neighbouring Parish Councils to make sure that we all try and share the same or similar values and do not inadvertently encourage developments in each others areas. However the Plan cannot succeed without YOUR involvement and approval. An independent Inspector will have to examine the Plan to make sure that it complies with planning legislation and the Leeds City local plan and it will be subject to a local referendum before adoption. Once it is adopted it will become part of the local (Leeds City) planning framework and will be a statutory document that will guide and control future development in the village.
The principal issues that the Plan will need to address include, inter alia sustainability, housing needs including affordable housing, employment and the local economy, environmental matters and community services as well as any important matters raised during the consultation events that will be arranged.
Sustainability
Whilst Boston Spa on its own may not be able to change the world there may be many options to help us reduce our reliance on dwindling resources and the Plan could examine local options for energy use reduction, for local renewable energy generation, for reducing vehicle use, extending recycling opportunities and reducing waste. Should we be seeking higher standards of insulation and energy efficiency in any new building works in the area ? Are there opportunities for more or better local food production and the use of underused gardens ?
Housing
Leeds has established that it will have to provide identified land for circa 70,000 new houses over the next 16 years and the north east quadrant of the City, ie principally the Wetherby and Harewood wards, will have to accept around 5,000 of those houses. In a separate exercise they have provisionally listed dozens of potential sites and of these eight are within the parish boundaries with a further three sites just over the boundary and technically in Clifford. These eleven sites alone could provide some 772 extra houses although not all sites will actually be suitable and not all will necessarily be allocated for housing during the development of the Leeds City plan.
The Neighourhood Plan could establish local policies for housing, set out where housing would be acceptable and upon what terms, provide guidance on design and quality. It can be used to work out how many local people will need housing during the plan period, how many affordable and social rented houses will be needed, how many starter homes and larger family homes are likely to be needed.
These are complex issues and we may need some specialist advice and assistance as the themes are examined but there will be many local residents who could contribute to the debate.
Employment and the local economy
The Plan will provide opportunities to consider rebalancing the local economy and help the village move towards a more sustainable community. Only a relatively small proportion of the population work in the village with most travelling to Harrogate,York, Leeds or other places. Are there opportunities to expand the local employment options ? Should more support be provided to existing or new businesses ? How can more or better support be provided for the local retailers ?
The lack of availability of suitable premises is a significant brake to much increased commercial activity within the village but should we be looking to expand the commercial centre ? Should we be trying to identify other areas in the village where such activity could be encouraged ?
Community Services
The Village is fortunate in having a good range of services and facilities which support the well being of the community. These include health and leisure, sport and culture amongst many others. However some of these are probably close to breaking point and increased development pressure could well overwhelm the ability of some of these services and facilities to perorm satisfactorily. It is important therefore that full and proper consideration is given to this aspect when any new development is being proposed and the Plan could set out how this needs to be addressed, what extra facilities will be required and at what stage.
Environmental matters
The village enjoys a special if not unique character which is very important to most of the residents. This is provided by the high number of listed buildings, forest trees, the local landscape and the special characteristics of the geology locally as well as archaeological aspects which are only just being brought to light. Which are the most special areas ? What buildings or features are most worthy of preservation as historic assets ? Do we need more “green space” ?
How can we ensure adequate protection for these features ?
How can YOU get involved.
The Neighbourhood Plan provides the perfect opportunity for the whole community to become “engaged” with the process. To make the eventual Plan successful we need the help, support and encouragement of all the differing sections of the Parish including for example - the young, the elderly, the clubs and societies, the local businesses, churches, schools and the support services amongst many. We need people with a wide variety of knowledge, skills and more particularly enthusiasm for and interest in the village of Boston Spa. People with expertise or experience in architecture, engineering, surveying, marketing. Social workers, economists, market researchers, statisticians, data analysts etc. The list is by no means exhaustive and of most importance is that the volunteers are people with an abiding interest in, and concern for, the place where they live. People are the key to the success of the Plan
We need YOUR help to develop the Plan by joining in the steering group activities. We will need YOUR help when the consultation exercises begin. In due course there will be public meetings and/or drop in sessions to look at and talk about the options that will face us all.
More details of the Plan and its progress will be found on the Parish Council website where a dedicated Neighbourhood Plan page has been set up. The Plan and its purpose will be talked about at the Annual Parish Meeting on 25th April at 7.30pm in the Jubilee Room at the Village Hall - see the Annual Newsletter for further details of this meeting.
If you are interested in the future of Boston Spa and are willing and would like to get involved please do come to that meeting or :-
CONTACT us :-
By e-mail either using the ‘Contact us’ form on the website or at
using ‘Neighourhood Plan’ as the subject line
By telephone :01937 835736
By post :Neighbourhood Plan
Boston Spa Parish Council,
The Village Hall, 199 High Street
Boston Spa, Wetherby LS23 6AA
We will also be setting up a Facebook page so keep an eye out for that.