Marnhull has been invited to provide inputs to North Dorset District Council on the detailed planning decisions being made about the village where we live and work. A Neighbourhood Planning Group has been set up by the Marnhull Parish Council to develop ideas and suggestions which represent the best interests of our village. These will be fed back to the North Dorset District Council.
The government wants local people to take an active role in shaping the future of the areas in which they live, finding creative and imaginative ways to overcome the pressures that any development can create for conservation, local services and amenities. This presents us with an opportunity to have our say, as an important part of the process will be continuing consultation with the villagers.
North Dorset District Council has established a framework for local development plans and this means that Marnhull is now able to work with the District Council to produce its own local plan. The village can either propose a Neighbourhood Development Plan or provide inputs to Part 2 of the North Dorset District Council Plan.
The way we work with NDDC, be it producing a Neighbourhood Development Plan or through Part 2 of the District Plan, will depend on the extent of the changes proposed for Marnhull through to 2026. If it is decided that a Neighbourhood Development Plan is required, then there will be a referendum of the whole village before it can be adopted. Once in place, the village plan will provide the framework for change in Marnhull for the next fifteen years or so.
If you wish to join the team, or have views about Marnhull’s future that you would like to be taken into account in our work, you should contact Ros Eveleigh on [email protected]
Marnhull Neighbourhood Planning Group Survey – Initial Results
The MNPG circulated a survey in February to find out your views on the way in which the village should develop. We received 163 responses which we’ve collated and can give you some initial results and conclusions.
Firstly it is clear that you all care a lot about what has happened in the village, whether you’ve lived here a few months or many decades. The rural nature of the village is important to almost everyone and you would like Marnhull to stay a village. On average, you believe that building about 30 houses over the next 11 years would allow the village to develop while maintaining the characteristics that you value. Furthermore, these houses should be built in groups of 5 or fewer. The problems of traffic, its volume and speed worried many, especially on the main village roads which have no pavements. The development of the footpaths and bridleways was a priority.
The responses represented about a 50:50 balance of residents below and above the age of 65. And, while 65% of the heads of households were retired, about 50% of the respondents were working either within or outside the village.
There were many well thought through and considered comments, particularly those on the back page. We will now take some time to read these thoroughly and provide a more detailed report later in the year.
Finally, a significant majority expressed a wish to follow the work of the MNPG through the pages of the Marnhull Messenger, so we will continue to keep you up to date with our work here in this magazine.
Neighbourhood Planning Group Members
Ros Eveleigh – Chairman
Michael Lawson
Alan Lloyd
Elaine Spencer-White
Useful Links
NDDC Plan Part 1
https://www.dorsetforyou.com/northdorsetdraftlocalplan
Locality – advice on NDP
http://locality.org.uk/http://locality.org.uk/
Shaftesbury NDP
http://www.enjoyyourfuture.net/shaston/
Gillingham NDP
http://www.gillinghamplan.co.uk/Neighbourhood_Planning.php
Sturminster Newton NDP
http://www.stur.org.uk/news-archive/news/news-archive/sturminster-newton-neighbourhood-plan