Mole Valley District Council Consultation

MOLE VALLEY DISTRICT COUNCIL CONSULTATION

Westcott

Proposed Neighbourhood Area

Village Forum

Consultation Information & Comments Form

Consultation Period:

Friday 14thDecember 2012 to

Friday 1st February 2013

The Future of Westcott

This page has been intentionally left blank

Proposed WestcottNeighbourhoodArea & WestcottVillage Forum

Consultation Information & Comments Form

December 2012 to February 2013

CONSULTATION INFORMATION

What is this Consultationabout?

In November 2011 the Government published the Localism Act, introducing new opportunities for local people to come together and plan for and shape the future of their own communities through a number of neighbourhood planning initiatives. One initiative is the preparation of a Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) which will show where, how much, and what type of new development will take place in an area over a period of 10+ years. It may also include detailed policies for the management of future development in the area covered by the plan.

As part of the Council’s discussions with local communities about the opportunities of neighbourhood planning, a group of residents and business owners in Westcotthas shown interest in preparing a NDP for Westcott.

Since the beginning of 2012, a Start Up Group of local volunteers has been busy raising awareness of the proposed neighbourhood planning project in the community, undertaking an initial survey of residents and businesses, and asking for local residents to join the proposed Neighbourhood Forum that will lead the development of the Plan. The Start Up Group has also submitted an application to the Council for the designation of the Westcott Neighbourhood Area and an application for the designation of the Westcott Village Forum.

The submission of the applications is part of a formal process which requires the District Council to authorise both the area that the NDP is to cover and the group leading the process. Over the next seven weeks the Council is inviting views on the suitability of the proposed Westcott Neighbourhood Area and Westcott Village Forum having regard to the requirements of the Neighbourhood Planning Regulations[1].

Consultation Details

The Council is now writing to all homes and businesses in Westcott so that the community is aware of the proposals to prepare a NDP for Westcott and have an opportunity to comment. Comments on the Neighbourhood Area and Neighbourhood Forum applications are being invited between Friday 14th December 2012 and Friday 1st February 2013.

A comments form is enclosed for you to use. Please return this to the Council by either the postal or email address set out below. Alternatively, you can email or write to the Council with your comments. Please ensure you provide your personal detailsincluding your name and an address (this can be an email address) with any letter or email. Without this information your comments cannot be accepted and taken into consideration by the Council.

All responses should be returned to:

• Post: The Planning Policy Team, Mole Valley District Council, Pippbrook, Dorking, Surrey, RH4 1SJ
• Email:

What should my comments relate to?

Comments must relate to the proposed Westcott Neighbourhood Area and Westcott Village Forum.

You should consider and comment on for example:

• whether the Neighbourhood Area proposed is appropriate (see attached mapat Appendix 1);

• whether the proposed Westcott VillageForum has secured (or taken reasonable steps to attempt to secure) a membership which is representative of its community i.e. is the membership drawn from different places in the proposed neighbourhood area (Westcott)and from different sections of the community in that area;

• whether the purpose of the proposed WestcottVillage Forumwill promote the improvement of the social, economic and environmental well-being of the proposed Westcott Neighbourhood Area.

Comments regarding the merit of producing a NDP for Westcott, or the content of a NDP will not be considered by the Council as part of this consultation. It you have any comments regarding the details of the NDP please contact the Start Up Group (contact details are shown on the comments form enclosed with this information).

What happens to my comments?

Following the close of the consultation, a detailed summary of the comments that are received will be reported to the Council’s Executive in March (2013). The Council will consider all the comments and decide whether to formally designate the Westcott Neighbourhood Area and Westcott Village Forum.

If the Council decides to designate the Neighbourhood Area and Forum, formal notification will be given and the process of preparing the NDP will officially get underway. If the Council is not satisfied with the proposals, having considered the consultation responses, further consideration of the proposed Neighbourhood Area and/or Forum will be required alongside further consultation with the community and other statutory consultees.

The Timeline for the Westcott Neighbourhood Development Plan

The proposed Westcott Village Forum will be responsible for devising a timeline for the preparation of the Plan. There will be a number of stages including the collection of evidence and analysis; meetings; events and opportunities for community engagement. During the preparation of the Plan there will be an independent examination of the proposals to ensure that they are the most appropriate options for Westcott and a referendum to ensure that the proposed Plan has the support of the Westcott community.

COMMENTS FORM

The following pages are for you to make your comments on the proposed Westcott Neighbourhood Area and proposed Westcott Village Forum.

For those returning a paper copy,the comments form has been designed so that this page and any subsequent pages which include your comments can be detached and returned to the Council. You are then able to keep the Consultation Information section for future reference.

Personal Details

For any comments to be considered by the Council you must at least provide your name and address (this can be an email address). Any comments received may be inspected by members of the public and cannot be treated as confidential. Comments will be made available on the Council’s website. Your personal information such as your postal address, telephone number and email address will not appear. However, your name and organisation (if relevant) will.

Consultees database:

If the proposed Westcott Village Forum is designated by the Council, it will be the responsibility of the Forum to continue to engage with and involve the community in the preparation of the NDP for Westcott.

To ensure you are kept informed of the progress being made in preparing the Plan, the Council would like to pass on your contact details to the Forum.

By ticking the box below you are agreeing that Mole Valley District Council can pass your contact details to the Westcott Village Forum if it designated by the Council. You may request to be removed from theirlist of consultees at any time.



Alternatively, you can contact the proposed Westcott Village Forum directly and provide your contact details. Please contact:

Alex Segal (Chair of the Start Up Group)

Postal Address – Stowe Maries, Balchin Lane, Westcott, Surrey, RH4 3LR.

Email –

Proposed WestcottNeighbourhoodArea & WestcottVillageForum

Consultation Information & Comments Form

December 2012 – February 2013

Please use the space below (and overleaf) to tell us your comments on the proposed WestcottNeighbourhood Area and Westcott Village Forum, taking into consideration the pointers in the ‘What should my comments relate to’ section. It would be helpful if you can provide information as to why you consider changes, if any, need to be made. Please use additional sheets if necessary.

If you are uncertain as to whether you livein the Westcott Neighbourhood Area please see ‘MoleValley and Me’ on the Council’s Home Page – . From here you can insert your postcode, select your property, and see whether you live in the electoral ward of Westcott which will be covered by the NDP. If you do not have access to the internet please contact the Planning Policy Team on 01306 879281 for assistance.

PLEASE TURN OVER THE PAGE FOR QUESTIONS RELATING TO THE PROPOSED WESTCOTT VILLAGE FORUM

Proposed WestcottNeighbourhoodArea & WestcottVillageForum

Consultation Information & Comments Form

December 2012 – February 2013

Thank you for responding to thisconsultation

[1] Neighbourhood Planning Regulations 2012 – uksi/2012/637/contents/made