Ramsgate Neighbourhood Development Plan

Ramsgate’s Neighbourhood Plan has been in the pipeline for several years and we appreciate that its progress has been very slow. The plan is mainly undertaken by volunteers from the local community who effectively need to undertake a crash-course in planning law, which is a very onerous task. Over the years different volunteers have come and gone, and there’s been no professional support available to help the group until recently.

However, there is funding available from an organisation called Locality and via the Town Council £18,000 has now been awarded to progress our Neighbourhood Plan. The Town Council has also set aside a budget of up to £20,000 for this project.

With these funds we’ve been able to appoint Dave Chetwyn, of Urban Vision Enterprise, to help us draft various documents required for the Plan. Mr Chetwyn was the author of the “Locality Neighbourhood Planning Roadmap Guide” and has worked as an independent examiner of Neighbourhood Plans for the Planning Inspectorate; he is extremely skilful and knowledgeable about Neighbourhood Planning!

Why now? Residents are hopefully aware of the various projects that Thanet District Council has secured funding for, as part of the Government’s Levelling Up / Shared Prosperity agenda, and the Neighbourhood Plan will give the community an opportunity to have their say how these plans should be implemented.

The Neighbourhood Plan covers the whole of Ramsgate, but our first plan refers in particular to focus on our conservation areas. There will be opportunities to revise and expand on the Plan in subsequent years. We appreciate that this first plan is not going to encompass everything that the community may want. The legislation that we’re working within was written with Parishes in mind and is not necessarily quite right for towns with 43,000 residents. Over the years, it’s been realised that in order to move this plan forward we need a more specific focus, and cannot necessarily try to cover all the aims that can be achieved in a small parish.

There will now be a lot more regular news about the progress of the Neighbourhood Plan and you’ll be able to find out more on the Town Council’s website, Facebook page, and our newsletter.

Note: Neighbourhood Planning was introduced in England by the Localism Act 2011 and the intention was that:

“Neighbourhood planning gives communities direct power to develop a shared vision for their neighbourhood and shape the development and growth of their local area. They are able to choose where they want new homes, shops and offices to be built, have their say on what those new buildings should look like and what infrastructure should be provided, and grant planning permission for the new buildings they want to see go ahead. Neighbourhood planning provides a powerful set of tools for local people to plan for the types of development to meet their community’s needs and where the ambition of the neighbourhood is aligned with the strategic needs and priorities of the wider local area.”

Written by:
Miss Laura Fidler,
Town Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer