Public opinion of Ashfield residents to be 'at the heart' of district's emerging local plan

The local plan will see the council outlining its vision for growth across the district, with housing, business and communities set to be at the forefront.

The council launched the consultation on December 20 and it will run through until February 3, with Ashfield residents being encouraged to contact the council with their views on what is needed across the district.

In the lead-up to launching the plan, which is expected to arrive next year, the council has undertaken a review of the Ashfield Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report – a document which examines the feasibility of proposals in the plan.

The review aims to update evidence in relation to environmental, social and economic objectives the council has outlined for the district, and consider key issues the local plan should address.

Councillor Jason Zadrozny, council leader, said: “Regular Chad readers will remember that one of the first things we did when we took over the council was to rip up Labour's housing plan, which wanted to build in the green spaces we hold so dear.

“Our new plan will have public consultation right at the very heart of it. Rather than being an excuse to be ad-hoc to developers, our new plan will unlock the potential of our district whilst ensuring we have infrastructure to cope with major developments.

“We will ensure that our roads can cope, we have the school places we need and that residents have access to health services like doctors and dentists."

The council’s new local plan follows a summer 2018 decision by the Ashfield Independents to scrap Labour’s vision for the district.

At the time, Coun Zadrozny told the Chad that the decision was taken to focus more on developing brownfield sites, particularly when it came to housing.

The plan will also give the council more powers over the rejection of housing developments, and prevent large appeal cases such as the 325-home development in Skegby earlier this year.

To find out more about the consultation, or to have your say on the district, see: https://tssneighbourhoodplan.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=90e92ab1126c27d9775820651&id=f1ca944b61&e=6138eff502