Neighbourhood Plan (NDP)
What is a Neighbourhood Plan?
It is a document describing the desired plans for a village or villages over a 5-10 year period and contains the areas the majority of residents feel are important. It covers topics such as housing and development, schooling and amenities, environmental protection, transport and highways. The document requires considerable consultation with everyone in the parish, and significant local input to bring it all together. Once the parish has agreed on its content, Lichfield District Council must approve it and it will need to be considered by an independent examiner. Once adopted it will be used by the planning department in the determination of future planning applications. It is not a way to get development through and pass unwanted schemes in the parish without consultation. Equally, it cannot stop development that is already planned by Lichfield District Council.
What can a Neighbourhood Plan do?
It can:
• Identify areas of protection from inappropriate development.
• Identify locally distinct policies for shaping the form of development.
• Identify development proposals in addition to those contained within Lichfield District Council’s Local Plan.
• Identify infrastructure improvements needed to support development.
What can a Neighbourhood Plan not do?
It can’t:
• Make general improvements to existing services such as telephones, highways maintenance and sewerage. These are covered by other statutory bodies.
• The Neighbourhood Plan cannot be used to resist planned development that Lichfield District Council identifies for the parish in their Local Plan.
Why have we developed a Neighbourhood Plan?
• The plan provides planning policies to address local issues that are not covered in the Lichfield District Local Plan.
• The Parish will receive 25% of any Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) arising from development within the Parish (£55 per square metre of development for new homes).
• All planning decisions are considered against a Development Plan. Lichfield District does not yet have an up-to-date Local Plan in place. This means we are more susceptible to unplanned development within the Parish.
• The plan provides a further level of protection against unplanned development if Lichfield District Council fails to demonstrate a sufficient supply of deliverable housing sites. We are particularly vulnerable in this Parish as we have no Green Belt protection unlike the majority of land elsewhere within Lichfield District.
• The Neighbourhood Plan will form part of this Development Plan and provide a range of policies and proposals to protect elements of the parish that are most important to the local community and direct future change within the Parish. All planning applications will be considered against the Neighbourhood Plan.
How has the preparation of the Neighbourhood Plan been funded?
• The Parish Council secured a Government Grant which enabled us to instruct an independent consultant Urban Vision to assist in drafting the Neighbourhood Plan. Therefore, the cost of preparing the Plan did not use any Parish Council funds.
• The Neighbourhood Plan is underpinned by a range of evidence to justify our policies and proposals. Much of this evidence has been prepared by AECOM and paid for through Government technical assistance packages.
What does the Neighbourhood Plan cover?
The Neighbourhood Plan covers a period of time from 2023 to 2040 and provides a suite of policies and proposals to protect important parts of our parish and identify where change will be directed.
The Neighbourhood Plan is a land use planning tool. Any issues that fall outside of the remit of ‘land use planning’ will inform an action plan, to be provided to the Parish Council. Some of the issues identified will need signposting to other bodies such as Staffordshire County Council or utilities providers where necessary.
Our draft Neighbourhood Plan seeks to identify, protect and enhance important local green spaces and habitats, existing services and facilities, historic buildings and the Mavesyn Ridware Conservation Area that should be protected.
The Neighbourhood Plan also seeks to support a limited amount of new development to meet our local needs in the Parish including new homes, additional burial spaces, appropriate education related development at the former Westwood School in Blithbury, rural employment, local renewable energy generation and the provision of a new convenience store.
The Neighbourhood Plan also provides a range of policies designed to assist in shaping planning proposals that come forward in the parish. This design guidance is to ensure that any new development reflects our local character and has regard to important matters such as increasing biodiversity, increasing pedestrian and cycle connectivity, improving energy efficiency and responding to climate change.
What has been achieved to date and what are the next steps?
• The Parish was designated as a Neighbourhood Development Plan Area on 16 th December 2019. This designation allows for a Neighbourhood Plan to be prepared.
• A Household Survey was sent to every household in the Parish in 2021 to identify a range of issues to be considered through a Neighbourhood Plan.
• A Steering Group to formulate the plan for the Parish Council was established in Summer 2022.
• Grant support for preparing the Neighbourhood Plan was secured in September 2022 and independent planning consultants appointed (Urban Vision).
• The local housing needs and character assessment was completed in late 2022 which demonstrated a local housing need of between 19 and 33 homes to 2040.
• A local consultation event on the draft vision, objectives and emerging policies and proposals took place in late 2022.
• The Design Code document was completed in 2023 and sets out the character of our villages in the parish and provides detailed design guidance to inform planning applications.
• A Sustainability Appraisal and Habitats Regulations Assessment were produced in 2024 to support the draft Neighbourhood Plan.
• The Neighbourhood Plan was subject to a 6 week local consultation in April to June 2024.
• The Neighbourhood Plan was amended in light of comments received and submitted to Lichfield District Council in August 2024 — Lichfield District Council undertook a further 6 week consultation in September/October 2024.
• An independent examiner was appointed to examine the plan against ‘basic conditions’ in October 2024 — The Examiners report was received on 26th November 2024.
• A referendum will be undertaken in the Parish to either approve or reject the plan.
• Adoption by Lichfield District Council will be required provided the referendum shows local support.
The following documents were submitted to Lichfield District Council on 30 th August and subject to Examination:
Habitat Regulations Assessment
The draft Neighbourhood Plan has been informed by the following evidence:
Household Questionnaire 2021 Analysis
The Independent Examiner’s report published on 26th November 2024 can be found via the following link:
https://www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/neighbourhood-plans/mavesyn-ridware-neighbourhood-plan/1
Referendum
Following independent examination, the District Council has issued a decision statement:
This confirms that, subject to modifications, the Neighbourhood Plan can proceed to Referendum. The Referendum is scheduled to take place on 13th February 2025. An information statement to this effect has been published by the District Council. This can be found on the District Council’s website:
https://www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/neighbourhood-plans/mavesyn-ridware-neighbourhood-plan/1
A copy of the Mavesyn Ridware Neighbourhood Plan that will be subject to referendum is published below (incorporating the modifications of the independent examiner):
If the majority of those who vote in the referendum are in favour of the Neighbourhood Plan, the Plan will become part of the Development Plan, against which all planning applications will be determined.
Final Approval and Making of the Plan
Lichfield District Council decided by Cabinet Member decision on 14 March 2025 to make the Mavesyn Ridware Neighbourhood Development Plan. This means it now forms part of the Development Plan for Lichfield District. Details of the plan are given above and the final making of the plan is attached below.
Decision Notice: https://mavesynridwareparishcouncil.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Mavesyn_Ridware_neighbourhood_plan_decision_statement.pdf
Further Information
If you require any further information in respect of the Neighbourhood Plan, please contact the Parish Clerk.
If you would like to know more about what a Neighbourhood Plan is, you can find out more through the locality quick guide to Neighbourhood Plans:
To read the Government guidance: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/neighbourhood-planning–2