Following an affirmative local Referendum result in relation to the use of the Battle Civil Parish Neighbourhood Plan (BCPNP) to help the determination of planning applications in the Parish Neighbourhood Area, Cabinet was requested to recommend to Council that the BCPNP be formally adopted and become part of the statutory Development Plan for the area.

On 2 July 2021, Rother District Council (RDC) resolved that the BCPNP (as amended in line with the Examiner’s proposed modifications) should proceed to local Referendum. This decision, together with a revised version of the Plan, was published on the Council’s website.  Following the due legal process, and in accordance with the Neighbourhood Plan legislation, a local referendum was held on 16 September 2021 in the Battle referendum area of Battle Civil Parish as recommended by the Examiner. 

Following a turnout of 24%, 89% (3% above the national average) were in favour of RDC using the BCPNP for Battle to help it decide planning applications; 11% were against; this was an excellent result and was the expected turnout.

Following this result, it was incumbent on RDC under paragraph 38A(4)(a) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 to ‘make’ a Neighbourhood Plan within eight weeks of the referendum result.  The principal effect of making the Neighbourhood Plan was that it would become part of the statutory ‘development plan’ for the area. Hence, planning applications within Battle Civil Parish would be determined against the BCPNP, alongside relevant Local Plan policies, also having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework.  It was noted that the development boundary for Battle, as contained in the BCPNP, superseded the development boundary and related site allocations in the 2006 Rother District Local Plan.

The decision to make the BCPNP would need to be publicised together with a statement setting out how the environmental considerations had been integrated into the Plan.  Cabinet was pleased to recommend to Council that the BCPNP be “made” with immediate effect which would bring it into legal force.  

Members paid tribute to the NP team at Battle for all the hard work and effort that had resulted in a cohesive development plan for Battle.      

RECOMMENDED: That the Battle Civil Parish Neighbourhood Plan 2019 - 2028 incorporating the Examiner’s modifications, as presented to local Referendum, be ‘made’ with immediate effect and form part of the Council’s Development Plan.