Welcome to the Roxton Neighbourhood Plan website
Funded via Locality!, we hope these pages will give you the information you need about the Roxton Neighbourhood Plan and help you keep up to date as it evolves.
We will be working in partnership with the local community (residents, businesses, landowners), Roxton Parish Council, Bedford Borough Council, national organisations (Historic England, Natural England, DfE, Environment Agency, etc.), Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity (BRCC) and others to produce a Neighbourhood Plan.
Latest News
We had a very successful Green Infrastructure Workshop on 21st November in the Village Hall, run by Cliff Andrews and Mike Fayers from Bedford Rural Communities Charity, with over 35 residents taking part. Issues such as improvements to footpaths giving better access for bikes and horses, possible sites for allotments and defining other green spaces were all discussed.
Next steps...
BRCC will take away all the input they received at the Workshop and will then arrange another meeting to play back to residents how these could be formulated into a Roxton Green Infrastructure Plan.
If you would like to add any comments or ask any questions at this early stage, please email info@RoxtonPlan.org.uk or drop written/ hard copy comments to the drop off points in Roxton Post Office or Roxton Village Hall Bar.
We ask that any initial comments/ thoughts in response are received by January 2025, so that we can consider them in forming the Roxton Green Infrastructure Plan.
Forthcoming Events
Late 2024:
What is a Neighbourhood Plan?
Communities throughout the country have been given the right to create their own neighbourhood plans to guide the way communities may change and be protected in the future. Roxton Parish Council has decided to prepare a Neighbourhood Plan for the whole Parish (shown by the map, right).
A neighbourhood plan is a way for communities to have a say in the future of the places where they live and work. It helps YOU to:
choose where you want new homes, shops and offices to be built
have your say on what those new buildings should look like
be more involved in planning permission for the new buildings you want to see go ahead.
It’s basically a ‘to do’ list for the village!
It is an official document that supports and guides local planning (alongside other larger planning policies and legislation).
Why a Neighbourhood Plan?
The Neighbourhood Plan must be based on the views of residents and other local stakeholders. When completed, the Neighbourhood Plan will be used alongside Bedford Borough Council’s own Local Plan to determine planning applications, decide the locations for any new developments, and promote measures to protect and enhance key environmental and heritage features.
A Neighbourhood Plan will allow us:
- to guide future development
There are currently a number of planning issues that will affect the village - East West Rail, the Black Cat development and A428 extension, not to mention proposals for additional houses and industrial buildings.
One way of stopping development we don’t want (and, of course, getting development that we DO want!) would be if we could refer to our local Neighbourhood Plan. However, without a neighbourhood plan, we have nothing to refer to!
to develop a community-led vision for the future of our village.
We (the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group) are separate from the Parish Council; we’re your neighbours and residents who want to develop a plan that encompasses what the people of Roxton want and need for their own village.
For more information on Neighbourhood Plans, please see:
National Government Guidance on Neighbourhood Planning: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/neighbourhood-planning--2
Local Government Guidance on Neighbourhood Planning - Bedford Borough Council: https://www.bedford.gov.uk/planning-and-building/planning-policy-its-purpose/neighbourhood-planning/
Locality! Guidance: https://neighbourhoodplanning.org/
As the area covered by the Roxton Neighbourhood Plan includes a designated conservation area, you may also find the guidance from Historic England helpful: https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/planning/improve-your-neighbourhood/