The original West Monkton and Cheddon Fitzpaine Neighbourhood Plan (NP) was made in 2017. Following the guidance provided by the 2019 National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), West Monkton (WM) and Cheddon Fitzpaine (CF) Parish Councils undertook a limited revision of that Plan to bring it up to date.
The principal changes are:
- Amendments throughout so that policies attributable to Taunton Deane Borough Council (TDBC) are now compliant with Somerset West and Taunton Council (SWTC) policies including those adopted from TDBC;
- SWTC is a district council that came into being on 1 April 2019, bringing together the former TDBC and West Somerset Council. The two councils had worked in partnership since 2013; and in May 2018, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government approved the business case for the councils to create a single new council;
- Reference to dated TDBC policies has been retained. In other places reference to TDBC should now be read as reference to SWTC.
- A new section added to reflect the Taunton’s Garden Town status, and Monkton Heathfield’s classification by SWTC as a garden community;
- Additions to and removals from the list of local green spaces;
- A revision of the policies for Housing, and for Recreation & Environment; with minor amendments to the policies for Transport, and Employment;
The data taken from the NPPF 2012 was relevant until 24 January 2019, when it was replaced by the NPPF dated February 2019. The revised Neighbourhood Plan therefore references the Feb 2019 NPPF.
A Neighbourhood Plan (NP) allows the community to grow whilst protecting existing community assets. It also identifies and makes provision for the realisation of community aspirations for the future. The NP becomes part of the planning framework, influencing the form and content of any new development.
The advantages of having a NP are that community assets, such as conservation areas, remain protected and community aspirations, such as improved leisure access to parks, open spaces, sports areas and footpaths, become more achievable. The aspiration for the NP area is that it becomes a place where families and people can grow and thrive in a sustainable and ecologically sensitive community. Having made the NP 2017, the parishes of West Monkton (WM) and Cheddon Fitzpaine (CF) currently receive 25% of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). The CIL money can be used for community projects, such as:
- The Country Park to be located from the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal north towards Hestercombe. At the time of this revision (2021) work is underway at the Maidenbrook Country Park, including tree planting of the Somerset Wood (to commemorate the fallen from Somerset in World War One).
- Improving surface water drainage locally.
In January 2017, Taunton was awarded Garden Town Status which will complement the various policies that have been developed by the NP Steering Group.
The revised Neighbourhood Plan is available here: Revised NP Made 2022
The original Neighbourhood Plan made in 2018 is available here: NP Made 2018
