Sutton is blazing a trail in East Cambridgeshire, with an application to start producing a Neighbourhood Plan, giving more power to local people to shape development in the village.

Sutton Parish Council has submitted a letter to the District Council to open this process, with a map showing that the area of the Neighbourhood Plan will be the same as that of the parish.  Residents have until 5pm on New Year’s Eve to comment on the proposed boundary of the Neighbourhood Area.

If approved, the parish council will then be able to start work on preparing the Plan. This can establish planning policies for development and use of land, including new housing and employment premises. These will then form part of the District Council’s planning rules.

The drawing up of the Plan must involve local residents and the community as a whole.  And at the end of the process, all residents of Sutton on the electoral register will be given a vote in a referendum on whether or not the Neighbourhood Plan should be put in place.

The Royal Town Planning Institute has published a useful guide to the process here.