Neighbourhood Plan – Catworth Parish Council

31/05/2025 – Thank You – An Update

Many thanks to everyone who attended the Neighbourhood Plan Open Day on 10 May 2025. It was great to see so many of you and receive your feedback.

The preparation of the Neighbourhood Plan (NP), which was commissioned at the request of the Parish Council in the summer of 2022 and will help shape the future of Catworth, is entering its final stages.

The parish survey, conducted in December 2023, contained questions relating to both the NP and a Community Action Plan (CAP), the distinction between the two is shown in the Survey Results document.

The CAP related information is for use by the Parish Council for future village projects and is ancillary to the NP.

The posters which were displayed at the Open Day in May were prepared from the results of the parish survey.

The 2024 Survey Results Presentation FINAL, the 2025 CatNiP Display Material and 2025 CatNiP Open Day draft policies and maps documents are available on the Parish Council website: https://catworthparishcouncil.gov.uk/neighbourhood-plan along with a new 2025 NP Draft Policies document which shows only the 15 draft policies that will form the NP.

The NP draft policies, together with the data behind the survey results, will be scrutinised by an independent examiner as part of the required statutory process, and before the NP is finalised and voted on.

As ever if you have any questions, comments, feedback or wish to help with the formation of the NP, please do not hesitate to contact the CatNiP Team: catnip@catworthparishcouncil.gov.uk

31/05/2025 – Neighbourhood Plan Second Open Day Presentation Material

Updated posters from the 2023 Open Forum were displayed by way of an introduction and revision of the Neighbourhood Plan (NP) process.

The main focus of this event was to update the community on the progress made since the parish survey results were published in March 2024. Since that time the CatNiP Team have analysed the results and used this data to write the draft policies as these will form the backbone of the NP. They have been scrutinised by HDC and their suggestions have been implemented.

The draft policy posters which were displayed at the Open Day show not only the objectives and wording of each policy but also the survey data pertaining to each one.

It should be noted that not all of the questions in the parish survey related to the NP. Some related to a Community Action Plan (CAP), some to HDC’s Call for Sites (CfS) and some apply to both the NP and the CAP &/or CfS. The data was collected for the benefit of the community and the parish council to assist them when looking at future infrastructure projects for the village and when responding to planning matters.

Please see below for links to the Open Day presentation material:

2025 CatNiP Display Material

2025 CatNiP Open Day draft policies and maps

Mike Brazel, Pippa Ellson, Geoff Price, and Cllr Lesley Brazel
The CatNiP Team 31/05/25

29/04/2025 – EVENT NOTIFICATION:

Please do join us at our Neighbourhood Plan open day:

All villagers are welcome to attend the second neighbourhood plan open day. Pop along for a friendly update on the progress on the neighbourhood plan activities, or just for a coffee and a catch up, either way it would be great to see you!

Survey results, update 5 March 2024

Following on from the parish survey which we conducted at the end of last year the CatNiP Team has compiled a presentation showing your responses. We were delighted that 66% of you submitted your views, thank you.

Your responses will now be analysed in detail and will form the basis, and set the policies, of Catworth’s Neighbourhood Plan.

Our presentation is shown in the document below. If you are unable to access this we do have a couple of printed copies, please contact the CatNiP Team if you would like to borrow one.

Those elements of the survey pertaining to a Community Action Plan will be passed to the Parish Council to enable them to prioritise future projects for the parish.

The CatNiP Team will spend the next few months drafting the Plan, we will continue to provide updates along the way of our progress and you will all have the opportunity to

comment on the Draft.

Now that you’ve seen the topic areas which will be incorporated within the Plan, if there is something of special interest to you and you would like to help please come and speak to any one of the CatNiP Team or contact us on: catnip@catworthparishcouncil.gov.uk

240304 Survey Results Presentation FINAL

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10/11/23 The Catworth Neighbourhood Plan survey is now live.

Follow the link here to access the online version

http://bit.ly/catworthsurvey

You can also view the full survey in pdf format, including the guidance notes 231026 CatNip Survey print ready version V2

The closing date is Sunday 3rd December.

The more responses we receive the better the final plan will be.

Thanks from Mike, Lesley, Geoff and Pippa, aka the CatNiP Team

NEW: 22 April 2023 Catworth Neighbourhood Plan Presentation

An introductory presentation was given to the village on Saturday 22 April 2023 at the Village Hall.

Please see below for links to the info pack:

Councillor Lesley Brazel NP Team Administrator & PC Rep 14/05/23

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Catworth Neighbourhood Plan

Our Neighbourhood Plan area has been designated on 25 October 2022 by HDC, so our volunteer Team can now actively work on the project. We will be contacting all households in the near future with further details.

Councillor Lesley Brazel NP Team Administrator & PC Rep 25/10/22

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Work has started on a Neighbourhood Plan for Catworth

Neighbourhood planning gives communities more control over the future of their area by giving local people the chance to have their say on what happens where they live.

The proposals are founded on the principles of localism, which means more involvement by planning authorities, local people, businesses, house builders and developers rather than central government. The neighbourhood planning process is to be led by the parish council but needs input from everyone and are looking for volunteers to help.

As part of the process, we will be delivering a questionnaire to all households in Catworth.

We ask you to complete one of the above per person in your house, if possible. If you complete the paper version, please return it to a collection point as soon as possible.

The data captured will form part of our future plans for the Parish.

The reforms are outlined in the Localism Act 2011. The Neighbourhood Plan seeks to:

Set out a vision for an area
Can establish general planning policies for the development and use of land in a defined area
Might specify where new homes and offices should be built and what they should look like
What business development is required or sought and where
How we can improve our social infrastructure
How we should protect and enhance our green infrastructure for people and wildlife
What resources do we need in the Village?
What services should the Parish Council provide?
How will Health Care, Education, Shops and services grow with the development
Sets a vision for the future and can be detailed or general, depending on what local people want
Will become part of Huntingdonshire Local Plan (subject to independent examination and successful local referendum)
Will become a statutory plan and be used in making decisions on planning applications
Make sure developments are more beneficial to the community, for example new homes are matched by jobs and investment
Is a tool to promote sustainable growth and will not be able to prevent development in an area
Can only include proposals for an equal (or greater) amount of growth than is set out in the local authority’s development plan
It must also accord to national planning policy
Certain procedures and requirements need to be followed when undertaking neighbourhood planning.

Further information can be found in The Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012

Over the next few months we will be compiling a vision of how Catworth should develop over the next 15 – 20 years

If you are interested in seeing how your community will evolve and having your say on our future, and in joining the Neighbourhood Plan Working Party please contact the NP group by emailing catnip@catworthparishcouncil.gov.uk or contact the Clerk clerk@catworthparishcouncil.gov.uk

We are also looking at holding public events in Catworth where you can find out more about this exciting opportunity to effect the future vision of our Parish.