Neighbourhood Plan for Colne maps out future housing sites in town

The plan, town councillors stressed, should not be confused with the overall Pendle Local Plan II, which is still under consultation with the public.

Town Clerk Naomi Crewe is asking residents with views about the Pendle Borough Council draft Local Plan II to contact Pendle Borough Council, not Colne Town Council.

She said: “We have been receiving lots of correspondence about Pendle’s Plan. I think there is some confusion, so, if you have views on the draft Pendle Plan II, make sure your concern or support is going to the right place."

Coun. Mary Thomas, chairman of Colne Town Council, explained: “We have recently finished the formal consultation of our own draft Neighbourhood Plan, which was well received by residents, as it seeks to allocate sustainable housing sites within the settlement boundary, while also designating Local Green Spaces, as well as other policies.

"You can read all about it on our website. The Pendle Council draft Plan II is a borough wide public consultation over the choice of housing sites that fulfil an ambition to build 240 houses per year over the next nine years. It also designates Local Green Spaces.”

You can see the draft Pendle Local Plan II chosen sites here: https://www.pendle.gov.uk/downloads/file/10853/pendle_local_plan_part_2_site_allocations_and_development_policies_preferred_options_report

To comment on the draft Local Plan II, please email: [email protected] - you must have your response to the consultation submitted by 5pm on Tuesday April 6th.

Coun. Sarah Cockburn-Price, chairman of the Colne Neighbourhood Plan Working Group, said: “Planning is, unfortunately, a complex business. We are guided in all we do by the National Planning Policy Framework and the Pendle Local Plan Part I.

"As our draft Neighbourhood Plan is solely focussed on Colne, ours is very detailed, featuring many more, smaller housing sites and a plethora of Local Green Spaces.

"All our potential housing sites are scored using the same methodology as Pendle and all our potential Local Green Spaces have been assessed by our planning consultant to ensure they pass the three tests, as set out in para 100 of NPPF.”