During November and December the Neighbourhood Plan (NP) team has been working on aspects of the broad project plan with advice from planning consultant Rachel Hogger to collect information needed for the production of Harston’s Neighbourhood Plan.
The NP team have been successful in applying for a government grant and free technical help. Locality, the government department, and AECOM working for them has already contacted the NP team and will soon be undertaking a Housing Needs Assessment for Harston which will hopefully identify the type and amount of housing we need for future generations. Cambridge ACRE are looking into whether a local provider will carry out a Harston Housing Needs Survey for free to discover housing need at present.
The NP team have produced a questionnaire and information flyer which will be delivered in the first week of 2023 to every household and business asking for their vision of the village in 15-20 years’ time. Responses can be completed on the paper copy or on line at www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/HarstonNP and should be completed before Monday, 30 Jan 2023.
The NP team are keen to encourage all those who live and work in the village to complete the questionnaire. It is vital to carry out this process of engagement with the whole community to ensure that the final plan reflects the views of all residents as closely as possible. The final Neighbourhood Plan will eventually be presented to all residents who will have the opportunity to vote on it and, if passed, will become a legal document which will have a bearing on future development proposals.
The results from this questionnaire are just one part of the evidence that needs to be collected to form a vision for Harston. We are also collecting information on Harston’s population age structure, household size, housing types, employment, etc, to help us work out what the village needs in the future – particularly in terms of housing and local facilities and services.
Along with understanding the present policy constraints that exist in the S Cambs and Greater Cambridge Plan, all evidence and ideas collected will help us form objectives and policies that will ensure the vision for Harston is achieved in the future. There will be a 2.5 hour workshop Mid-March (led by planning consultant Rachel Hogger) that will look at this and anyone interested in contributing to this is welcome alongside the NP team members. Please let us know if you would like to be involved in this or other min-projects to collect information about Harston eg its landscape character and built character.
Harston NP team
Contact: Hilary Roadley hilary.roadley@hotmail.com
