Following media coverage about the proposed Tollerton Neighbourhood Plan – an update on what is happening and completing the plan in 2025.
A small group of residents, supported by the Parish Council, has been working since 2017 to develop a Neighbourhood Plan for Tollerton. A Neighbourhood Plan sets out what sort of building and development would fit into the area, what features, like green space and historic buildings, are important and should be protected, and what new facilities like cycling and walking routes would be welcomed.
Once agreed and adopted, a Neighbourhood Plan has to be taken into account by Rushcliffe Borough Council (RBC) when deciding planning applications.
Village residents have had the opportunity to feed into the current draft of the Plan through four rounds of consultation over the last three years and we are grateful to all those residents who took the time to submit their views.
Since then, the draft plan has been subject to review by an Independent Examiner and Rushcliffe Borough Council has made some amendments in the light of his report. The Parish Council has worked with Rushcliffe Borough Council on those amendments. Some have been accepted and others have been challenged.
Tollerton Neighbourhood Plan – final step
In December, Rushcliffe Borough Council’s Cabinet approved the Plan to go to a referendum of the Parish. This means that everyone registered to vote can say if they want to approve the Plan so it comes into force.
We do not yet know when this referendum will take place, but it is likely to be before the Spring.
More information will be available closer to the time of the vote, but it is worth noting a few things that we know already:
- This plan describes and defines the village and the things that matter if we are going to try and keep its essential characteristics. It sets out some policies and aspirations but recognises the things that are within our control and those that aren’t. It has already been through four rounds of consultation without any significant objections being raise.
- The Plan is not perfect, and some things have been taken out by Rushcliffe Borough Council that we wanted to see in it, but if people do not vote in favour of this Plan in the referendum there is no alternative plan written to take its place. This would mean that we will have nothing formally approved that represents the views of the village about its future direction to guide Rushcliffe Borough Council when deciding planning applications.
- The Plan and the referendum will have no influence over the ownership or development of the Airfield site. Those are beyond the Parish Council’s control and it has already been decided by Rushcliffe Borough Council that the land should be used for housing.
The Parish Council will keep residents up to date through the newsletter, notice boards and on social media when we know the date of the referendum.
Greater Nottingham Strategic Plan – Consultation
This plan is being developed jointly by Rushcliffe Borough Council, Broxtowe Borough Council, Gedling and Nottingham City Council and sets out policies to secure sustainable development across the south of Nottinghamshire up to 2041.
Going forwards this will be the plan that allocates land for development and planning applications in Rushcliffe will be considered against it (replacing the Rushcliffe local plan).
Any planning applications in Tollerton would then also be considered against the Tollerton Neighbourhood Plan.
The latest draft of the Greater Nottingham Strategic Plan has recently been out to consultation and the Parish Council responded on behalf of the village. Our response repeated the points made in the Neighbourhood Plan about any development in and around the village and particularly seeks to get our plan’s aims reflected in any masterplan for the area.
What to expect in 2025
In 2025 we would expect residents to see a range of separate but connected consultations and planning processes, including:
- Tollerton Neighbourhood Plan – final step… a referendum on the Tollerton Neighbourhood Plan for Tollerton residents
- an independent examination of the Greater Nottingham Strategic Plan (and possible further round of consultation, more information on the the GNSP website)
- consultation on a Masterplan (or SPD) for the whole of the airfield site in Tollerton, led by RBC
- consultation or news about planning applications from the developers and developer proposals for the masterplan (more information can be found on the RBC website), these could include:
- Barwood Land and Taylor Wimpey
- information – Gamston Fields, Meadows and Heights
- live planning application
- Vistry
- information- Land-North-of-Tollerton_Consultation-Leaflet_Oct-23
- live planning application
- Barwood Land and Taylor Wimpey
- consultation on planning applications for any land excluded from the larger applications
- such as reserved matters for the proposed 80 bed care home submitted by Zenith Planning And Design – which has Outline planning permission.
The Parish Council is not responsible for bringing forward any of these consultations and the list above is not exhaustive.