In this post we wanted to raise the issue of the proposed development at Timbergate/Bartles Hollow in Ketton, which we know residents have been voicing concerns about recently.
The Steering Group's task is to put together a Neighbourhood Plan based on what residents want to see in their community in the future. The consultations that we have carried out in both Ketton and Tinwell over the past two years, and especially the Survey that went to every household this spring, showed very clearly that the majority of those who responded felt that the existing development allocation within the Revised Local Plan was sufficient, and that Ketton should not be faced with yet further large housing developments, particularly where those were proposed to be outside the existing Planned Limits of Development. The Steering Group has therefore written to Rutland County Council to object to the proposed development, based on these views.
Of course, we have to see what happens now, but we wanted to point to this situation as an example of how a Neighbourhood Plan can help a community faced with development options. When the Neighbourhood Plan is formally made, its policies will have equal weight with those in Rutland County Council's Local Plan, and will work alongside it. These policies will cover issues around any future development, including the type of housing to be provided, the infrastructure that supports it, and how we protect our much-loved landscape and countryside at the same time.
The better we can make the Neighbourhood Plan reflect the wishes of everybody who lives in the two parishes, the stronger local planning regulation will be, helping to ensure that where development takes place, it is of the scale and type that the community actually wants.
So please do keep an eye on your local Neighbourhood Plan news and send us any questions about the Plan process to ket2tin@gmail.com . And when we present a first draft of the Plan for residents to comment on, hopefully in the spring of next year, please do make sure that you give us your views!