Progress Report - May 2026

Mark Collins, Steering Group Chairman.

Progress this last year or so has been slow as we are bringing together feedback and evidence in support of all the important objectives identified for Orwell’s Neighbourhood Plan. Consequently, we have not been in touch with the community to update you as much as we would have liked.

The environment for producing the plan has changed with this Government, as they have withdrawn the funding we have been relying on to pay for expert work from professional consultants. This work is essential to ensure that all the relevant aspects of the plan have been addressed in order to ensure adoption by the council. The Parish Council has been in support of the development of Orwell’s Neighbourhood Plan from the outset and, fortunately, have now stepped in and provided some of the funds we will require, so we should be able to commission the necessary work to progress to the next stage in the plan’s development.

We are now near to finishing the first complete draft of the plan which we will ask our very helpful consultant, Natalie Blaken, to evaluate and comment on. She will be able to help us to prepare the Plan for submission to Greater Cambridge shared planning (GCSP) for their input. Once we have completed the draft for submission to GCSP we will present it to the village for comment also.

We anticipate one further iteration of the Plan before we finally submit it for a 6-week public consultation, after which the plan goes to an independent examiner for its final review. Once through this stage, a village referendum will be organised by South Cambs District Council to verify that the Plan is supported by village residents before it is adopted. We will rely on your support at this time, hopefully later this year.

Despite the fact that the Government has withdrawn the funding, we believe that the Neighbourhood Plan will continue to have the same legal standing and relevance in planning decisions and is therefore remaining important to our community when contemplating planning issues.

I would like to extend my special thanks to all my colleagues on the Steering Group who have worked very hard on what is a challenging project.

Maggie Gould, Steven Thain, Emma Tabor, Mark Ridler, Nigel Blackburn, Philip Hodgson.

Mark Collins

Introduction

Orwell Parish Council made the decision that the village should produce a neighbourhood plan. Accordingly, a steering group was set up to coordinate the research, production and dissemination of a neighbourhood plan for the village of Orwell. This steering group will be calling upon various resources within the village, the local authority and various consultants to produce the plan. We will be looking for further volunteers.

The emphasis on this process is to produce a document that represents the hopes and expectations of those who live in Orwell and consequently we will be seeking inputs from residents through various consultations.

We are at the beginning of this process and we expect it to take some time if we are to do it justice. We will use this web site and various other forms of communication with the village to keep you in touch with progress and from time to time to solicit your input.

What is a Neighbourhood Plan?

The Neighbourhood Plan sets out the priorities for the village in defining future planning and is primarily aimed at the use of land. It does not set out to define specific planning policies, but to set the framework for planning decisions by defining the needs, expectations and priorities of the village when considering what is important to us, what defines us and where we hope to take the village in the future.

A Neighbourhood Plan is a document that sets out what’s important to a particular community when it comes to planning matters. For example:

• What sort of housing gets built (and where)
• Do we need different types of housing?
• How our green spaces are used
• How do we protect views?
• The kinds of amenities that are developed
• Do we want more shops?
• Do we want better parks or sports facilities?
• More footpaths or cycle ways?
• Protecting the natural environment.
• What support do local businesses need?
• What do we want to protect, like heritage buildings or areas of woodland.

Local communities have rights and powers to shape the future development of their area by preparing Neighbourhood Plans. These documents set out planning policies for a local area and are used to decide planning applications – for things like new homes, and for developments of amenities like shops, playgrounds or offices.

Neighbourhood Plans are written by and based on the views of the local community, the people who know and love the area. Because we have to consult residents and distill the views expressed, it will take some time to complete.

What it is

• A way of making sure that development meets the needs of our community
• Focuses on the use and development of land in our area
• A way of identifying specific development sites
• A channel for local people to have their say about what gets built or developed in their community

What it isn’t

• A way of stopping any development in our community
• A way of dealing with non-planning matters (e.g. traffic management, potholes, or big transport projects)
• Resolving any specific planning applications.

Our Neighbourhood Plan in the wider planning context

National Planning Policy Framework – Government

Local Plan – Local Authority (South Cambs District Council)

Neighbourhood Plan – Local Community (Orwell Residents)

Get Involved

As the Steering Group progresses the development of the Neighbourhood Plan, the range and scope of the work we are undertaking is growing and we are now keen to open opportunities for people within the community to offer their talents to support us. At the moment, as we develop our community engagement strategy, we are specifically looking for someone to head up our Communications Activities and someone to set up and maintain a Facebook page for us, but we also welcome anyone who is keen to make an input. If you think you have relevant skills and are keen to play a part and would like to help us with this valuable community work, please get in touch info@orwellneighbourhoodplan.co.uk.

Update on Progress

Please consult the Latest News pages to keep up to date with our activities.