Grafham and Ellington Neighbourhood Plan
The purpose of Grafham and Ellington having a Neighbourhood Plan is to define the aspirations and needs of residents and businesses within these areas so that they have to be taken into account when local planning authorities, such as Huntingdon District Council, Cambridgeshire County Council and the secretary of state can take the democratic wishes of the area into account.
Neighbourhood development plans, when complete, form part of the statutory development plan for an area. They will be used to promote and guide what goes where and, importantly, will be used to help determine planning applications.
The Grafham and Ellington Parish Councils consider that this is an important right to exercise, and in 2019 the Parish Councils applied for their combined parish areas to be designated a neighbourhood planning area. Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) approved this application in September 2019. Following designation, consultation and independent examination, the Parish Councils steering group has prepared and published this final of the Neighbourhood Development Plan.
The Neighbourhood Plan seeks to represent one part of the development plan for the two parishes over the period 2020 to 2036. For clarity, the development plan consists of any planning policies currently adopted by the local planning authority, Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC), Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC) and this Neighbourhood Plan.
The policies in this Plan take account of HDC’s Local Plan which came into force in 2019 and covers the period up to 2036.
The Plan therefore provides the local community with a powerful tool to guide the long-term future of Grafham and Ellington and their surrounding countryside for the period 2020 to 2036. The Plan allows all residents to exercise an element of control of the management of planning issues and developments within the community. It is not just for the Parish Councils but for all residents both current and future. The Plan contains a vision for the future of Grafham and Ellington Parishes and sets out clear planning policies to realise this vision.
In order to develop the Neighbourhood Plan, Grafham and Ellington Parish Councils set up a Neighbourhood Plan Working Group which comprised two Parish Councillors and a number of other local volunteers. It has been prepared by with extensive support from the local people, statutory bodies, local businesses and Huntingdonshire District Council.
The Neighbourhood Plan received formal approval through a referendum in January 2022 and final approval by HDC on the 23rd February 2022.
More information is available about this Plan and others in Huntingdonshire on HDC’s Neighbourhood Planning webpage.
Click here to read the plan and supporting documents
Click here to read a Report on the Heritage Assets of Grafham and Ellington complied to provide background to the Grafham and Ellington Neighbourhood Plan and comprising lists of sites and older buildings, including major buildings that are no longer extant, together with maps showing their location.