Welcome to the Rothwell Neighbourhood Forum
STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING No 109 at the Haigh Road Community Centre on Monday 8th April 2024 at 7.00pm
rothwellmusicfestival@gmail.com
https://www.rothwellmusicfestival.co.uk/
Neighbourhood planning was introduced in the Localism Act 2011. It is an important and powerful tool that gives communities statutory powers to shape how their communities develop.
What is a neighbourhood plan?
In very simple terms, a neighbourhood plan is:
· A document that sets out planning policies for the neighbourhood area – planning policies are used to decide whether to approve planning applications
· Written by the local community, the people who know and love the area, rather than the local planning authority
· A powerful tool to ensure the community gets the right types of development, in the right place
The Neighbourhood Plan is being written by Rothwell Neighbourhood Forum, so it could be said the document is owned by the Forum, but ultimately it is for the people of Rothwell and understanding their views is paramount.
The Neighbourhood Forum was set up some years ago and had to be officially designated by the Local Authority. The Neighbourhood Plan when written and approved has legal status that is the same as the Leeds Local Plan (this is the documentation that includes the Site Allocation Plan and the Leeds Core Strategy).
A Neighbourhood Area had to be agreed with the Local Authority and that too had to be designated.
Having set up the Forum and the Area, a key task is trying to find out what people think and over quite a long time (interrupted a bit by the pandemic and a host of LCC Consultations that had to be responded to) the Forum has set up displays at events like the Rothwell Carnival and “Hug in a Mug” at the Blackburn Hall to try and canvass opinion on subjects ranging from Greenspace, Heritage, Housing and Community Facilities in Rothwell. Over time there have been some meetings with particular groups and there was a town wide questionnaire some time ago (which may need repeating).
In addition a Rothwell Neighbourhood Facebook Group has more recently been set up as a means of asking further questions on different topics in the hope of gaining views from a larger audience and at present one of our members who lives in Rothwell is asking questions about Rothwell Heritage.
Answers to these questions provide evidence of why certain policies are included in the Plan. It is also necessary to provide a consultation statement to prove that contact has been made with the local community.
The Plan is in the process of being put together and when complete will be a substantial document. When it has gone through a process to determine it is valid, it will be put to a vote (probably to coincide with a local election).
To write a Plan is a rather complex and time consuming business and volunteers to help with this work would be very much welcomed.
If it were to be approved, the Rothwell
Neighbourhood Plan would then, as previously mentioned, be part of the Local
Plan and developers for example would have to account for it in any
applications that were submitted. The Plan cannot stop building from occurring,
but it can place constraints upon it in terms of its impact on formal
greenspace, local heritage and how it is designed and configured etc., so it is
a valuable tool.
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| Click on image to see Draft document in full | |
Town and Country Planning Act 1990, as amended by The Localism Act 2011, Schedule 9
The Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012, Part 2
Leeds City Council has received an application from Rothwell Neighbourhood Forum for the re-designation of the neighbourhood forum. It must now publicise this application and seek comments from those who live, work or carry out business in the area.
How to view the application:
The forum application can be viewed at:
Leeds City Council website:
How to make comments on the proposed forum:
If you wish to make comments on the re-designation of the Rothwell Neighbourhood Forum, these must be made in writing between Wednesday 20 January and Wednesday 3 March 2021 (5pm) by:
Completing the online survey available at: https://surveys.leeds.gov.uk/s/RothwellNF/
Emailing npsupport@leeds.gov.uk
Members of the Leeds City Council Neighbourhood Planning Team are willing to discuss the neighbourhood plan over the phone by appointment, please email npsupport@leeds.gov.uk or phone 0113 37 87997 to make arrangements. The Neighbourhood Planning Team are currently working exclusively at home. We are not able to accept correspondence by post as we are unable to process it and it is not being checked.
If you require further advice or assistance, please contact the neighbourhood planning team on either 0113 87997, or email npsupport@leeds.gov.uk.
F.O.R.C.E. Saving Rothwell's iconic Council Offices.
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| Friends of Rothwell Community Enterprise Heritage Weekend exhibition at The Pavilion Cafe in Springhead Park. |
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| Haighside Wood showing Hawthorne in Bloom. May 2018 |
Analysis of the views collected so far from the local community which will help the Rothwell Neighbourhood Forum shape the Rothwell Neighbourhood Plan. This Plan has eventually to be voted on by the people of Rothwell in a referendum.
Read the analysis of the questionnaire here
