What is the Bourne Parish Neighbourhood Plan?
Have your say on how our parish should be planned
What is Neighbourhood Planning?
Neighbourhood planning is a way for communities to have a say in the future of the places where they live and work. It gives a community the power to produce a plan with real legal weight that directs development in the local area.
A Neighbourhood Plan can for example help to:
Determine where new houses should be built
Influence what new buildings should look like
Support the protection of key elements of the environment, such as open green spaces.
Support and enhance the heritage of the parish
The Draft Vision
By 2036 Bourne will be a more attractive, sustainable, vibrant and prosperous market town and Parish with a safe, healthy environment that is more resilient to climate change and where provisions have been made to better cater for the needs of our community, from the very young to the very old; where the positive character of our heritage, landscape and natural environment has been maintained and improved; where there is a thriving economy; where housing meets the needs of the local community; where shopping and services within the town centre are varied; where the visitor experience has been enhanced; and where links from the town to the surrounding countryside have been maintained and improved, particularly for pedestrians and cyclists.
The area to which the Plan will relate is shown on the map below. It relates not only to the town of Bourne, but to the whole of the Parish, including Dyke, Cawthorpe , Twenty and the surrounding countryside.
The Bourne Parish Area Map
The Draft Plan
Preparation of the Neighbourhood Plan is the responsibility of Bourne Town Council. It has established a Steering Group composed of members of the Town Council and local community to undertake this task.
The Neighbourhood Plan will include policies that will be used to determine planning applications
It is anticipated that a Draft Plan will be published in Autumn 2025 for a six week period of public consultation. Details of how to let us know if you wish to be informed of the publication of the Draft Plan can be found on our contact page.
Comments received at the Draft Plan stage will be fully considered by the Steering Group and changes made, where appropriate. Following endorsement by the Town Council the amended Neighbourhood Plan will be submitted to South Kesteven District Council. It will invite representations, appoint an independent examiner and, subject to the examiner’s findings, arrange a referendum of people on the electoral role to decide if the Plan should be used in the determination of planning applications.
Background Papers
Several background papers have been prepared to inform the vision, objectives and policies in the Draft Plan. These can be viewed on our documents page.
Has Anything Already Been Decided?
We do not start with a blank canvas. The Neighbourhood Plan cannot stray too far from Government policies or the strategic policies of the South Kesteven Local Plan (the Local Plan) which provide a framework for determining planning applications across the whole of South Kesteven.
The Neighbourhood Plan can support the policies of the Local Plan by including additional policies of a more local nature. So, for example, the Neighbourhood Plan cannot promote less development than indicated in the Local Plan.
In brief, the Local Plan strategy aims to focus growth primarily at Grantham with more limited development at the market towns of Stamford, Bourne, the Deepings and larger villages. Sensitive infill development and the redevelopment of previously developed sites is permitted within smaller villages including Dyke and Twenty. In the open countryside, which includes Cawthorpe, development is restricted to that which is necessary to support the rural economy.
New Documents
The following documents prepared by the Steering Group, are referred to in the Draft Neighbourhood Plan and have influenced the development of the vision, objectives, and a number of the draft policies.
The Vision and Objectives Consultation and The Vision and Objectives Summary of Responses paper have influenced the development of the vision and objectives for the:
The Housing Sites Assessment background paper and associated consultation has informed the allocation of land for housing, associated development criteria and the preferred future direction of housing growth.
The Bourne Town Settlement Boundary background paper has informed the development of a settlement boundary to distinguish the built-up area of the town, where development is generally acceptable (subject to other planning policies), and the open countryside where development is far more restricted.
The Bourne Character Assessment and the Summary of Draft Character Assessment Comments and Responses have helped to identify and summarise the defining visual characteristics of the villages and areas of the town to be taken into account when considering new development.
The Local (non-designated) heritage assets background paper identifies buildings, structures and features of local heritage significance and explains their significance.
The Green Infrastructure background paper maps important open space within Bourne town and the villages. It also identifies existing green infrastructure corridors within the town and along key waterways within the parish. It assesses the qualities of each open space to articulate its importance to the local community.
Supported By Bourne Town Council
Contact
Bourne Town Council
SK Community Point
3 Abbey Rd
Bourne
PE10 9EF
enquiries@bournetowncouncil.gov.uk