Oving Neighbourhood Plan Paused

On the recommendation of Chichester District Council we have stopped further work on the Oving Neighbourhood Plan.

A Neighbourhood Plan has to comply with the policies of the Local Plan that are being used to determine planning applications at the time.

When we started work in 2020 the Local Plan in use was the one adopted in 2015 for the period to 2029.  The policies we defined were in compliance with that Plan.

However, while we were working on our plan, the authority was working on a new Local Plan of its own, for the period 2021-2039. Progress on this so-called Emerging Local Plan has been faster than anticipated and will come into force before ours. As a result we will have to revise our policies so as to be in compliance.

We will be able to resume work when the new Local Plan has been adopted which may be in the next 18 months or so.

The one advantage of having to wait is that when the Oving Neighbourhood Plan finally sees the light of day it will have a longer life than the earlier version would have had. None of the work already done will have been wasted.

Chairman, Oving Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group

April 28, 2023

2023 February – Testing the Waters – FINAL Report published!

Thank you to all those who took the time to come to the Open Days, find out more online, and comment on the plans. We have paid close attention to what you have told us and have now incorporated what we can in the revisions.

The FINAL report into the feedback on the Testing the Waters project has been published and is available here.

2023 February Update

The purpose of a neighbourhood plan is to give local communities such as parishes, the opportunity to influence the quality of development in their areas. Many parishes in the district have developed neighbourhood plans.

In December 2020 a steering group was formed of volunteers from the village and hamlets of the Oving parish, from different walks of life, some in employment, some retired, but all sharing a desire to help shape the future of the parish over the next seven years.

In broad terms we want any new housing to be sympathetic in design and style to the existing built environment. We want provision to be made for affordable housing to meet local needs. And we want to have infrastructure funds used to improve connectivity across the parish with new networks of footpaths and cycle ways.

In two years we have completed many of the stages along the route. In March 2021 the district council designated the whole parish as the registered geographic area of the plan. This was followed in April by a consultation of residents on our vision and objectives.

With the help of consultants, within the next 12 months we defined the policies and completed the first draft of the plan. To check we had the community’s support for the general way we were going, last October/ November we conducted an informal consultation, we called Testing the Waters,

From this exercise we incorporated a number of amendments into a second draft. Most recently we authorised a government agency to assess the potential impact of the plan on the natural environment including wildlife habitats.

Now we look ahead to the spring when with the benefit of this assessment we expect to launch a more extensive consultation of residents, developers, employers and statutory consultees such as Natural England and the Environment Agency.

When this stage is done we should be within striking distance of a ‘made’ plan. Stay with us.

Stephen Quigley, Chairman, Oving Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group

February 1, 2023

To view the Vision and Objectives, please use the following link:

Vision and Objectives

For previous Neighbourhood Plan meeting Agendas and Meeting notes, please visit this page:

Neighbourhood Plan – Agendas and Meeting Notes