The Stoke Climsland Parish Neighbourhood Development Plan is on its way!
Neighbourhood Planning gives our community the chance to set out a positive vision for how we want the Parish to evolve in the coming years, and to have a stronger voice in the important issues that affect land use and housing development. In short, if new development is needed, we want it shaped by local priorities and local knowledge, rather than solely by decisions made in Whitehall or County Hall.
Consultation on the Neighbourhood Plan remained open until 5 January 2026. All comments received were carefully reviewed, analysed and discussed by the Steering Group. The Steering Group then made recommendations to the Parish Council on the amendments that should be made to the NDP before its formal submission to Cornwall Council. These recommendations were accepted by the Parish Council.
In considering the consultation responses, the Parish Council sought to respond to community views as far as possible, while ensuring that any changes remained focused on land use planning matters. The Parish Council also sought to retain the fundamental vision and objectives of the Plan, which reflect the priorities identified by local people through earlier stages of community engagement.
Some comments and suggestions made by respondents related to matters that fall outside the legal scope of a Neighbourhood Development Plan. Where this is the case, recommendations have been made on how these issues could instead be taken forward as community projects, or explored further by the Parish Council.
The Neighbourhood Plan has now been formally submitted to Cornwall Council, which is responsible for the next stages of the process. Later this year, there will be a local referendum to decide whether the Plan should be formally adopted and become part of the statutory development plan for the area.
To see the submitted Plan an its supporting documents, please click on the ‘Submission Draft Neighbourhood Plan link above.
What Happens Next.? Cornwall Council will check the Plan for legal compliance, then do a further 6 week consultation, before an Independent Examiner reviews the NDP. If it passes the Examination, a local referendum of all electors in the Parish will be held. If it is passed in the referendum it will become part of the Development Plan and must be taken into account when planning applications are decided.
Who prepared the Neighbourhood Plan? The Plan has been prepared by a Steering Group made up of Stoke Climsland Parish Councillors and local volunteers, working in line with national regulations and guidance from Cornwall Council. The Group has listened carefully to the views of residents and businesses gathered through surveys and events over the past five years, and has been supported by planning consultants, funded mainly through government grant aid delivered by Locality. Alongside this, the Steering Group has carried out detailed research across all of the topics covered by the Plan, helping to shape the policies it contains. By law, the Plan’s policies must also align with national planning policy and the strategic planning framework set by Cornwall Council.