Wednesday 11 October 2017

Startforth blueprint 'not too little too late'

STEADY progress is being made as a village bids to shape a blueprint for its future.

Startforth villagers teamed up to form their own neighbourhood planning group during the summer to influence planning decisions made in the next 20 years.

Questionnaires have been posted out to residents to see what they’d like in the plan with the results expected on parish noticeboards. Group chairman Jim Boaden revealed several volunteers had joined the group.

He said: “We have had a few meetings and a briefing from Durham County Council as well as talking to George Stastny, from Whorlton, on how they did theirs.

“We had an open meeting for people in the parish and we had about 30 people turn up which for the start of things is very good.”

Neighbourhood plans are increasingly common items on parish council agendas across Teesdale as communities bid to construct documents to shape future planning decisions on their doorsteps.

Once finished, the plan will go into the long awaited and delayed Durham Plan and hold some sway in planning adjudications.

Mr Boaden said early discussions had proven “very constructive” with a web designer, statistical specialist and a planning officer signed up to help the working group.

He added: “I would say we had about six volunteers – maybe eight.

“We have also had advice from Barnard Castle Town Council who have been very helpful.”

The plan is expected to take a couple of years to complete before the village votes on the final proposal. 

Startforth has seen a number of major housing projects in the past decade with construction at the latest 162 home development near Deerbolt Young Offenders’ Institution underway.

Efforts to now create a neighbourhood plan have been criticised from some quarters as too little too late.

But Mr Boaden was remaining positive and thanked everyone who had come forward to help so far.

He added: “Some parishes cannot see it as a benefit as, maybe, they have one landowner in the parish and it wouldn’t be constructive – so it’s not for everyone.”

“I do not know why Startforth parish council didn’t go ahead with this a while ago but as soon as residents said ‘we want one’ they were very positive and helpful.”

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