Mendip residents asked to help shape the future of the district

MENDIP District Council will soon be holding public consultations in Frome as it prepares to develop the next stage of its local plan.

The district-wide drop-in sessions will visit Frome in October and November, and give local residents a chance to have their say on land use and development in the area.

There will be sessions at the Cheese and Grain on Wednesday 14th October (10am – 4pm), Coleford Village Hall on Monday 19th October (2pm – 8pm), Nunney Village Hall on Thursday 29th October (2pm – 8pm), and Selwood School on Monday 2nd November (5pm – 8pm).

The public consultation forms a key part of Mendip District Council’s Local Plan Part Two, which will examine in detail where development will go in Mendip’s towns and villages.

It will consider individual sites for housing, employment and community facilities, while reviewing which open spaces should be protected and whether any other policies are needed, for example, around space standards for new homes or helping people wishing to build their own homes.

Part one of the Local Plan was adopted last year. That document set out the overall minimum numbers of additional housing and employment needed in the district and the broad locations where it could go, including identifying some large development sites.

Beginning on 16th September, Mendip will be running a series of public consultation events to get feedback from local people about how they would like to see their local area develop.

The drop-in sessions will take place throughout the district and be staffed by officers from the council’s planning team, who will be on hand to answer questions. Local people who attend the sessions will be able to see and comment on maps with proposed sites for development.

Once all of the consultation sessions are complete, the council will carefully consider all the comments received and use these to start drawing up a draft Plan for further comment next year.

All maps and documents will be available on the council’s website in advance of the events – www.mendip.gov.uk/localplanpart2   The information will also be available in hard copy at the council’s Shepton Mallet offices and customer access points.

Ian Bowen, principal planning policy officer said, “The Local Plan is one of the council’s most important documents and will guide development across the district for many years to come.

“It will identify sites that are suitable for development, for housing, employment and community facilities, while also clarifying which areas should be protected from development. It’s vital that we get as much feedback as possible, so I hope that local people will take the opportunity to attend their local public consultation event and let us have their comments.”

Cllr Nigel Woollcombe-Adams, portfolio holder for health and wellbeing said, “The Local Plan is a document which affects everyone living in the district and forms a major part of the council’s drive to increase employment and high-quality housing in Mendip. This is an important opportunity for local people who want to shape how their local community will develop in years to come, so I hope that residents will attend their local public consultation session to have their say.”

For more information or advice on the Local Plan Part Two, contact Mendip’s Planning Policy Team on planningpolicy@mendip.gov.uk or 0300 303 8588.