Colne residents to have say in Neighbourhood Plan referendum

The Colne Neighbourhood Plan recently passed its examination and the Advisory Committee achieved most of what it had hoped with a long list of wide-ranging policies.

Subject to a town-wide referendum, the Colne Neighbourhood Plan, once made, will be used in making planning decisions within the town’s boundary. It will also drive the town’s development until 2030.

It is one of the biggest Neighbourhood Plans in the country and joins Trawden, Barrowford and Kelbrook and Sough in developing Neighbourhood Plans in Pendle.

Colne Town Clerk, Gina Langley explained: “We would like to see a really high turnout for the referendum to show support for our Colne Neighbourhood Plan, which has been six years in the making. It really has been a case of: We Long Endure!”

The main points of the Colne Neighbourhood Plan are:

Protection of Community Assets

Designation of 20 Local Green Spaces

Protection of our Heritage

Provides all new development with a Colne specific Design Code

Designates Housing Sites within the Settlement Boundary

Protects Long Range, Significant Views

The Colne Neighbourhood Plan is a lengthy read, but it is broken down into themes, so it should be quite easy to navigate. You can read it and all its evidence base here: https://colnetowncouncil.org.uk/services/neighbourhood-plan/.

On Thursday, July 20th, Colne residents will be asked a single question:

Do you want Pendle Borough Council to use the Neighbourhood Plan for Colne to help it decide planning applications in the Neighbourhood Area?

A simple majority of the votes cast will see the Plan either adopted or rejected.

The Plan and supporting documents are available on Pendle Borough Council’s website – www.pendle.gov.uk/ColneNP

They are also available to view at:

Colne Town Hall, Albert Road, Colne, BB8 0AQ

Colne Library, Market Street, Colne, BB8 0AP

Number One Market Street, Nelson, BB9 7LJ

Voting in the Referendum will be similar to voting in Pendle Borough Council elections.

To be eligible to vote you must live in Colne and be registered to vote by Tuesday, 4th July. You don’t need to register to vote again if you’re already on the electoral register. You can register online at www.gov.uk/registertovote

To vote in person you need to show an accepted form of photo ID such as a passport or driving licence - it doesn’t matter if it’s expired, as long as it looks like you.

If you don’t have any photo ID, the deadline to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate is 5 p.m. on Wednesday, 12th July.

Find out what ID is accepted and apply for a Voter Authority Certificate by visiting www.pendle.gov.uk/voterID

The deadline to apply for a proxy vote is 5 pm on Wednesday, July 12th. Visit www.pendle.gov.uk/absentvoters to apply.

Please check your poll card for where your polling station is. The Lesser Muni is currently being refurbished, so anyone who usually votes there will be voting at Colne Town Hall in this Referendum.

For help or more information about voting in the Referendum, call the Pendle Borough Council Elections Team on (01282) 661662 or email [email protected]