Alnwick and Denwick Neighbourhood Plan poised for refresh to take into account changes over the past four years

Members feel the Alnwick and Denwick Neighbourhood Plan, which was made in 2017, requires an update to take account of recent developments.

The refresh would coincide with Northumberland County Council’s new Local Plan which is expected to be finalised later this year.

Cllr Martin Swinbank, planning committee chairman, said: “Lots we talk about at council harks back to the neighbourhood plan through its policies and community action proposals.

"But they age, like everything else. The plan is in its prime for the first two or three years after it is made and after that starts to lose its sharpness because the world moves on.

"For instance, there is an Alnwick settlement boundary brought in with the Local Plan which doesn’t correlate to our neighbourhood plan.

"We know that a number of things have changed since the neighbourhood plan was drawn together and we’ve just gone through the strangest year any of us have known in our lifetime.

"Going forward we’re not going to go back to where we were in March last year. We’re in a different world.”

He told councillors it would not be a case of starting again from scratch.

Cllr Sue Patience said the work should start now rather than waiting for the Local Plan to be finalised.

She said: “Knowing what happened to the Local Plan last time when it got pulled at the last minute by the incoming Conservative administration, if things change in May (elections) you might well have the same thing happening so I think we ought to crack on.”

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