Broadwas and Cotheridge NDP Review

Summary of Public Consultation Event at Broadwas Village Hall at 7:30pm on 16 April 2025

On 16 April 2025, Broadwas and Cotheridge Parish Council held an initial public event to provide information about the NDP Review and discuss with participants the context for the review and its potential scope. The event took place in Broadwas Village Hall between 7:30pm and 9:30pm and around 35 people attended.  The Parish Council had written to all parishioners advising them about the review and inviting them to attend the meeting. Also a flyer for the event had been distributed around the parish and information placed on the Parish Council website and noticeboards.

The Parish Council explained the work that was being undertaken to support the NDP Review, including technical support to develop Design Codes, a Housing Needs Assessment and a Housing Needs Survey. Further work will be undertaken to updated evidence supporting policies and review policies to ensure they reflect current priorities. The event was a first step in understanding the local community’s concerns and ambitions for the updated NDP.

An interactive presentation was made by Lee Searles from Andrea Pellegram Ltd, who is providing professional planning support to the Parish Council on the NDP Review. Lee’s presentation explained how the existing NDP (Made in September 2019 with a period to 2031) is in need of review to reflect a changed national and local planning context and to update priorities and evidence to reflect issues for the plan looking forward to 2040.

The current Vision for the NDP was discussed and it was clear that those present felt that the sentiment it expresses, around celebrating and planning in the context of the area’s rural character and heritage, remains relevant today and for the future. It was felt there was no need to change the Vision in the NDP Review.

The eight current Objectives in the NDP were also discussed and it was felt that these also capture the key priorities for the local community (the existing NDP Vision and Objectives are set out in Appendix 1 of this note). These focus on protecting the environment and important sites, protecting and providing community infrastructure and supporting development whilst controlling its impacts.

The policies in the plan flow from the objectives. Discussion centred on specific issues that need to be addressed and the extent of actions in the NDP to address them. These were captured in a SWOT chart which is set out below.

A specific discussion was held about housing requirements. It was acknowledged that the local housing requirement for the area had not resulted in proposed site allocations in the South Worcestershire Development Plan with an anticipation that residual requirements would be met through windfall development within the Broadwas Settlement Boundary and elsewhere.

There was a clear understanding however, that national changes to the Standard Method of calculating Local Housing Need would result in a significant uplift in housing requirements in Malvern Hills/South Worcestershire. Authorities will need to plan for increased housing immediately. It is not known yet if and how this will affect housing requirements in Broadwas and Cotheridge, but there is potential for a lack of housing land supply in the District to lead to more favourable consideration of proposals for speculative housing developments in the area.

The potential to consider making housing site allocations to fully meet the Local Housing Requirement (which is understood to be of the order of 20 dwellings at present, though this could change) was discussed. Under the National Planning Policy Framework, NDPs which do this and are less than five years old after being Made, benefit from protections against development that would conflict with NDP policies (see Appendix 2 of this note).

People attending the event felt that the option to allocate sites for housing to meet local housing requirements in the NDP Review should not be ruled out and should be considered further.

The Parish Council ended the event with a promise of further engagement and consultation, including on whether undertaking a housing site allocations process is recommended or not.

Those attending kindly put forward their e mail addresses and following a suggestion, to was agreed that they would be happy to be contacted to consider and draft documents and or emerging proposals.

Lee Searles

Andrea Pellegram Ltd

Appendix 1 – Existing NDP Vision and Objectives

 

Vision

The residents of Broadwas & Cotheridge have identified the rural nature of their villages as being fundamental to the character of their neighbourhood. We aim to maintain and improve that character and to address the needs and wishes of those who live, work, socialise and relax within it.

Objectives

1. To protect the rural character of our Parishes with their communities located within an open landscape of fields, woodlands and riverside meadows, together with associated views.
2. To support small scale sustainable high-quality housing development within the Broadwas Development Boundary and on other exception sites consistent with the SWDP.
3. To support the development of sustainable local employment, including farm diversification, in forms that do not adversely impact upon nearby homes, businesses, the local road network or the environment.
4. To support and enhance existing key community facilities including: – Broadwas & Cotheridge Village Hall, Broadwas Primary School, St Mary Magdalene’s Church Broadwas, St Leonard’s Church Cotheridge, Broadwas Gospel Hall, Berryfields Children’s Play Area and Playing Field, Broadwas Sports Ground and The Royal Oak Public House.
5. Within the Neighbourhood Plan area, to support and protect the Green Space identified in the SWDP and the Local Green Spaces and historic buildings referred to in this Plan and to enhance public access to and enjoyment of the rural landscape as a whole.
6. To retain the rural nature of the roads within the Neighbourhood Plan area through support for:-

• Maintenance and improvement of public transport links
• Traffic management along the A44 to improve safety and quality of life for residents of our Parishes and users of the community facilities
• Measures to substantially reduce the incidents of flooding along the A44.

1. To support improvements to local public services and infrastructure and to facilitate access to both high speed broadband and reliable mobile-phone coverage.
2. To support and encourage small scale green energy initiatives including solar panels on domestic and commercial buildings and the use of ground and air source heat pumps.

Appendix 2 – Extract from NPPF

These extracts from the NPPF (December 2024) show the conditions under which a ‘tilted balance’ is applied in favour of proposals for housing development (para 11(d)) and where, in such circumstances, the adverse effects of allowing proposals which conflict with NDP policies are likely to be significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the disbenefits. (para 14).

For further information please visit

https://broadwascotheridge-pc.gov.uk/planning-development/neighbourhood-development-plan

 

For further information about the SWDP review please visit

https://www.localplanservices.co.uk/swdpreview

REVIEW OF OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD DEVELOPMENT PLAN

 

Following the decision in 2024 to review our Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP), this is now formally underway.

 

The NDP is a statutory and important part of the the planning jigsaw and ensures that all those involved in making decisions to develop land and deciding what is best, have to take into account the local view of what is best for the parishes.

 

Our NDP was “made” in 2019 and runs through till 2030, so it is sensible to have a look at it in the light of experience and changes within the wider planning systems.

 

We have secured funding to appoint a specialist consultant to assist us, as some aspects of the process are very technical, and we hope to have completed the review by late summer.

 

We will be writing to each parishioner to provide them with more information and you will also be sent a questionnaire. Once we have the returns from these and the results of other enquiries, we will be in a position to see what changes may be needed to the NDP. At this point we will reach out and invite parishioners to a meeting(s).

 

As many will be aware, meeting the future housing needs of the country gets a lot of attention, and can create strong feelings. The District Council as the local planning authority has central role, but also works closely with other authorities in South Worcestershire, to set out the South Worcestershire Development Plan. This seeks to address what future needs will be and how these might be met. The SWDP is also under review and is currently being externally examined. We have sought to link the timing of our review to this. As the SWDP determines the wider picture and can impact on the parishes in terms of allocations of possible developments.

 

NDP’s provide for those wishing to develop and for the decision makers a clear statement of what is important to local people and their views about what developments would contribute and maintain a balance with the aspects of local life and location that we value.

 

We are planning to hold at least one public meeting and welcome the involvement of as many parishioners as possible. We will do our best to keep everyone up to date and if you feel you would like to become more involved in the review then one option is to consider joining the parish council or to volunteer for the steering group.

 

 

For further information please visit

https://broadwascotheridge-pc.gov.uk/planning-development/neighbourhood-development-plan

 

For further information about the SWDP review please visit

https://www.localplanservices.co.uk/swdpreview