Murton Parish Neighbourhood Plan

An introduction

Murton is one of 17 parishes in York that that are creating their own Neighbourhood Plan. It will form part of the bigger planning picture, the National Policy and the emerging City of York Local Plan.

What is a Neighbourhood Plan?

The Localism Act 2011 introduced new rights and powers for communities. It set out the Government’s planning policies and how they should be applied. It gives the framework for the preparation of locally distinctive planning policies in the form of Local Plans. For us, this is the City of York Local Plan.

The Act includes the introduction of a new ‘neighbourhood’ layer to the planning system which is central to the package of planning reforms and is aimed at giving people the opportunity to shape the places they live in. Neighbourhood Plans are a key element of neighbourhood planning, giving communities a new and better way to decide the future of the places where they live and work. It allows us to make decisions about what is important and needs protecting, and what needs improving through the planning system.

As required by the Localism Act, it is guided by the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the national policy, and the City of York Local Plan which gives ‘the strategy vision for the city’, and must conform to the NPPF. The Murton Neighbourhood Plan, together with the York Local Plan, will cover the period up to 2032/33.

The Parish Council will monitor the plan and consider whether any revision is necessary.

Who is producing the Neighbourhood Plan?

The Parish Council is responsible for producing the Plan and has set up a Working Party under the chairmanship of Cllr Richard Clancey to formulate proposals.

Why are we producing a Neighbourhood Plan?

Murton already has a very successful Village Design Statement. However, this only influences decisions and doesn’t apply to the entire area of the Parish. A Neighbourhood Plan will go much further by ensuring that any changes or development in the future must be compliant with our wishes as a community.

What is the emerging City of York Local Plan?

The City of York Local Plan, which is being developed will, when adopted, set strategic priorities for the whole city for the next 15-20 years. It forms the basis for planning decisions and will be reviewed at regular intervals. It will adhere to national policies.

What has the Parish Council done so far to prepare Murton’s Neighbourhood Plan?

We applied to the City of York Council to produce a Neighbourhood Plan and, following statutory public consultation, obtained their agreement.

During 2016, we sent a questionnaire to every household and business in the Parish and had a helpful and encouraging response.

We held a Drop-In in September 2016 to describe the work done so far and to answer any questions that arose.

During 2017, we sent a more detailed questionnaire to every household, based on the results from the 2016 questionnaire, asking for more detail. Again, we had an encouraging response. The results from these questionnaires have been distributed to every household and are available on this website.

During this period, we obtained data about the Parish from the National Census and from the City Council’s records and evidence base for the Local Plan, necessary evidence which is needed to support any proposals that we may make in our Neighbourhood Plan. Thes data and the results from the questionnaires will form part of the evidence needed for our Plan.

From 2017 we began to write a Neighbourhood Plan with the other papers which are asked for by legislation. A pamphlet was produced in 2021 and sent to all residents, and businesses in the Parish and to about 50 organisations which have legitimate interest in the Plan. This is the pre-submission consultation. We received over 80 comments and these have been addressed. Full details are given in the Consultation Statement.

What are the next steps?

1. The City of York Council will ensure that the Plan conforms to the Neighbourhood Plan regulations and then publish the Plan for 6 weeks. This period allows all those interested to send further comments.
2. The City of York Council will then send the Plan to an independent examiner who will ensure that the Plan complies with all relevant national legislation and guidelines. This is known as the examination.
3. After the examination, the City of York Council Executive Members will decide if they agree with the Examiner’s Recommendations and whether the Plan should proceed to a referendum. If it is approved by a simple majority, the Plan will become part of the City of York’s development plan to guide future planning decisions in the Parish.

We are now preparing a draft of the Neighbourhood Plan and will, in due course, consult again with all households and businesses.

Where can I get information about the progress made in producing the Neighbourhood Plan?

The Working Party produces a short account of the work that it has carried out for each meeting of the Parish Council. The reports are available on the Murton Parish Council website.

Can I ask questions and make comments now?

YES! Please send questions and comments to Cllr Richard Clancey, Chairman of the Murton Neighbourhood Group Working Party.

Email: clanceyrichard@gmail.com