Agenda item

The Chairman, prior to introducing the report, again welcomed representatives from Saxilby with Ingleby Neighbourhood Planning Group, Liz Hillman, Martin Furnish and Pete Crowther who would have opportunity to address the Chamber and formally present their Plan.

Members gave consideration to a report which sought Members’ approval to adopt the review of the neighbourhood plan for the parish of Saxilby. The reviewed plan would replace the original neighbourhood plan for Saxilby to form part of the development plan and thereby had a major influence on planning application decisions in the Saxilby parish.

A referendum, held been held on 6 May; the outcome of this was shown in section 3.6 of the report with  90.71% of residents who voted being in favour of the Revised Plan.

As such the Plan was now ready to be adopted or “made” by Full Council as it had completed all its stages and had the support of its local community.

The Chairman moved the recommendations before inviting Ward Councillors to address the Chamber, with both speaking of their support and admiration of the work undertaken in completing a Neighbourhood Plan Review.

The Neighbourhood Plan Group were then invited to address Members, with Mrs Hillman making the following statement to the Chamber: -

“Good evening Chair and Councillors,

Thank you for inviting representatives of the Saxilby with Ingleby Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group to address Members this evening and formally hand over our revised Neighbourhood Plan. I am pleased to be joined by Martin Furnish and Pete Crowther, members of the Steering Group.

The Parish Council considered it essential that the Plan was updated to reflect changes in national planning policy, emerging priorities such as climate change and biodiversity, and the evolving nature of our parish. Since the original Plan was adopted, around 366 new dwellings have been built. It was therefore important to understand the views of newer residents, alongside those of longer-established members of our community, on how the parish should continue to develop.

Community consultation lies at the heart of neighbourhood planning. The policies contained within the revised Plan are based on the views, priorities and aspirations expressed by local residents through surveys, consultation events and ongoing engagement. Those conversations helped shape the Plan before you today.

I had the privilege of chairing the first Neighbourhood Plan, which was adopted in 2017. When we began this review, we expected it to take around a year. In reality, it took three years and involved a number of challenges, including delays caused by changing funding arrangements. We are particularly grateful to West Lindsey District Council for its support during the final stages of the process.

Despite those challenges, the revised Plan is underpinned by a strong evidence base, including the Design Codes and Guidance document and the Housing Needs Assessment. Together, these provide a robust framework for guiding future development in a way that reflects the character, identity and priorities of Saxilby with Ingleby Parish. We have retained the format used in the original Plan, combining planning policies with photographs, illustrations and explanatory text to make it accessible and easy to use.

I would like to place on record our sincere thanks to our planning consultant, Luke Brown, for his expertise throughout the review; to Nev Brown, Senior Neighbourhood Planning Officer at West Lindsey District Council, for his guidance and support; to all past and present members of the Steering Group; and to the Parish Clerk and Administration Officer for their invaluable assistance.

I would also like to recognise the dedication of the final core group: Brett Fegan, Martin Furnish, Sheila Hughes and Pete Crowther whose commitment over the past three years ensured the successful completion of this review. As Chair of the Steering Group, it has been a privilege to work alongside them and to help bring this review to completion.

Most importantly, I would like to thank the residents of Saxilby with Ingleby who participated in consultations, shared their views and ultimately voted in the neighbourhood plan referendum. The revised Plan received overwhelming support, with more than 90% of those voting backing its adoption, providing a clear mandate from the community for the policies it contains.

On behalf of the Parish Council and the Steering Group, thank you for your support throughout this process. We are delighted that the revised Neighbourhood Plan has reached this final stage, and it gives me great pleasure to formally hand over the Saxilby with Ingleby Neighbourhood Plan. Thank you.

At the conclusion of the address the Chairman of Council then formally received the Plan from the Neighbourhood Planning Group to a round of applause from all Members.

Having been proposed and seconded, on being to the vote it was: -

RESOLVED that: -

(a)    the Saxilby with Ingleby Neighbourhood Plan Review, in accordance with the Neighbourhood Planning Regulations 201, be formally adopted (made)

(b)    the newly adopted (made) Saxilby with Ingleby Neighbourhood Plan Review June 2026, replace the Saxilby with Ingleby Neighbourhood Plan adopted May 2017, to form part of the West Lindsey Development Plan for Saxilby with Ingleby parish area.