ILMINSTER NEWS: Get involved with the town’s Neighbourhood Plan

FORMAL designation of the area covered by the proposed Ilminster Neighbourhood Plan has been received.

The decision was announced this week by South Somerset District Council. Designation is a requirement before Ilminster Town Council can start on the procedure of getting a Neighbourhood Plan - and it is just in time for members of the public to get an idea of what the Neighbourhood Plan is all about.

This weekend, as part of the town council’s plans to keep the public aware on progress, an information point is being provided at the Ilminster Midsummer Experience Community Drive off Silver Street on Saturday (June 10, 2017) from 10am to 1pm.

“Councillors will be available to answer any questions people might have and hand out publicity material,” said Cllr Tony Walker who chairs the town council’s Neighbourhood Plan Working Group.

“We will also be doing this throughout the day at the Ilminster Midsummer Experience event at the Rec on Sunday.

“We will be able to tell you about the series of workshops the Council is running to explain the concept of a Neighbourhood Plan and to establish the level of support for the project.”

The dates of the workshops currently planned are listed below. Each workshop will follow the same format and provide the same information and the town council hopes that by running the workshops on different dates and at different times a wide range of people will be encouraged to attend.

Please note, there is no need to register attendance for the workshops in advance, people interested in learning more about Neighbourhood Plans can just turn up, however it would be extremely helpful if anyone wishing to attend could email town.council@ilminster.gov.uk or phone 01460-52149 to help the town council gauge numbers.

Dates are venues are as follows:

Thursday, June 29, 2017: The Shrubbery Hotel – 7pm start.

Tuesday, July 20, 2017: The Minster Rooms, Court Barton – 10am start.

Tuesday, July 20, 2017: The Minster Rooms, Court Barton – 2pm start.

Publicity material will also be handed out at the town market during Thursdays (June 22 and June 29) and also at the Market Square on Saturday (June 17).

If sufficient support is established a Neighbourhood Plan Implementation Group will be formed consisting of residents, business representatives of the town, members of the town council and consultants with specialist knowledge of town development. This is the opportunity for people who live and work in Ilminster to shape its future.

A Neighbourhood Plan is a Government initiative that gives local people a real opportunity to influence the design and development of where they live.

An approved Neighbourhood Plan would run alongside the policies contained in the South Somerset Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework.

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