Council-wide Plans
Neighbourhood Plan
Presenting the council's neighbourhood plan status and documents.
The Localism Act (2011) introduced Neighbourhood Planning into the hierarchy of spatial planning in England, giving communities the right to shape their future development at a local level.
In 2016, Utkinton and Cotebrook Parish Council took the decision to create a Neighbourhood Plan for the Parish. A Neighbourhood Plan cannot stop development, but it will give the community a say in the nature, number, size and location of any development. Importantly, it has legal status and must be taken into account when the Local Authority is making decisions on planning applications. Following consultation with Cheshire West and Chester Council, Utkinton and Cotebrook Parish was designated as a Neighbourhood Plan Area on 22nd November 2016 and modified on 17th October 2019 to reflect amendments to the Parish Boundary following the Local Boundary Review.
The Neighbourhood Plan was approved by Cheshire West and Chester Council in May 2021 and will be reviewed every five years. The full plan is available by following this link:
UTKINTON AND COTEBROOK NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN
Reviewing the Plan
The Utkinton & Cotebrook Neighbourhood Plan was ‘made’ in 2021 with a review date of 2025/2026. A working group has been informed of Councillors & residents to carry out this review. Since the Plan was first proposed some houses have been built within the Parish, sadly the school has closed, the bus service has been cancelled and the ‘green tank’ has been installed in Utkinton. In the wider area, financial constraints continue to have an impact and planning laws have been changed resulting in multiple planning applications in our nearby larger villages. The working group would like to know YOUR thoughts on the changes within the Parish and the impacts of external factors.
