Stapleford and Great Shelford villages are working together to produce our ‘neighbourhood plan’. Visit our website at www.greatshelfordparishcouncil.gov.uk/SGSNPlan/ to find out more.
Neighbourhood planning allows communities to shape their development by creating their own planning policies. These are written by and based on the views of the local community – the people who know and love the area.
A neighbourhood plan can, for example:
- point to where new homes, shops and offices should be built
- influence what they should look like
- identify and protect important local green spaces
- grant planning permission for specific buildings to meet a community’s needs.
Note, then, that neighbourhood plans are about saying what you do want, not vocalising what you don’t want to happen.
Our plan will set out legally binding planning policies for our area and sit alongside local plans when District Council Planning Officers consider applications. It is our opportunity to shape the place where we live over the next 15-20 years. View our short explainer to find out what we mean in more detail.
A steering group of parish councillors and residents is compiling the neighbourhood plan on behalf of the community, and it is essential that we engage with as many people who live and work here as possible. Please do join the conversation, either by filling in our first online survey – designed to identify at a broad level what your local planning-related priorities are – or by attending forthcoming face-to-face events. You can also access and complete the survey on your phone by scanning our QR code:
Find out more about neighbourhood planning and our progress via the links below, updates on our and other local Facebook pages, and monthly articles published in Stapleford Messenger and Great Shelford Village News.
Landscape character assessment
As part of work done by a previous iteration of the neighbourhood plan steering group, a Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) was undertaken by a planning consultant on behalf of Stapleford and Great Shelford Parish Councils, and published in October 2019.
LCA is the process of identifying and describing variation in character of the landscape. LCA documents identify and explain the unique combination of elements and features that make landscapes distinctive by mapping and describing character types and areas. They also show how the landscape is perceived, experienced and valued by people. Recognising landscape in neighbourhood plans provides an opportunity to identify what makes the place where you live unique, and to ensure that its special qualities and distinctive characteristics are protected and enhanced through the neighbourhood planning process.
Our LCA is available to read here. Its utility extends well beyond neighbourhood planning and we would be delighted if others within our community could benefit from its existence, too.
Forthcoming events
- 2-4pm, Sat 23rd April 2022, Stapleford Pavilion at the Recreation Ground
- 9-11.30am, Wed 27th April 2022, Gt Shelford County Market, Memorial Hall, Woollards Lane
- Sat 4th June 2022, Stapleford Village Weekend
- Sun 5th June 2022, Gt Shelford Platinum Jubilee Event
Progress updates
- Neighbourhood Plan update: creating a vision for our Neighbourhood Plan, Jan 2023 – click here
- Neighbourhood Plan update: the value of a good Landscape Character Assessment, Dec 2022 – click here
- Neighbourhood Plan update: initial public opinion results (detailed), part 2, Nov 2022 – click here
- Neighbourhood Plan update: initial public opinion results (detailed), part 1, Oct 2022 – click here
- Neighbourhood Plan update: high level initial public opinion results, Sept 2022 – click here
- Neighbourhood Plan update: complete the survey and have your say NOW!, May 2022 – click here
- Neighbourhood Plan update: online survey and face-to-face events go live!, April 2022 – click here
- Stapleford and Great Shelford neighbourhood plan update, March 2022 – click here
- Shaping where we live – Stapleford and Great Shelford neighbourhood plan update, Feb 2022 – click here
- New steering group formed to drive forward Stapleford and Gt Shelford neighbourhood plan – click here
Local Facebook pages
- Stapleford and Great Shelford Neighbourhood Plan: https://www.facebook.com/S&GSNeighbourhoodPlan
- Great Shelford and Stapleford Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/357037668334411
- Stapleford Cambridge: https://www.facebook.com/Staplefordcambridge
- Great Shelford Online: https://www.facebook.com/greatshelfordonline
Survey
To request a hard copy of the survey or a version in large print, please email SGSNPlan@gmail.com.
