Stratford-upon-Avon Neighbourhood Plan Referendum

Stratford-on-Avon District's twelfth neighbourhood plan referendum will take place on 29 November 2018, when voters in the parish of Stratford-upon-Avon will go to the polls to respond to the question: "Do you want Stratford-on-Avon District Council to use the Neighbourhood Plan for Stratford-upon-Avon to help decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?"

To vote in this referendum residents of the parish of Stratford-upon-Avon must be registered to vote in the Local Government elections and be 18 or over on the day of poll. The polling stations, which will be open from 7am to 10pm, will be at:  

• Chaser Suite, Stratford-upon-Avon Racecourse, Luddington Road, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 9SE.
• Rosebird Community Hall, Rosebird Centre, Shipston Road, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 8LU.
• Shottery Memorial Hall, Hathaway Lane, Shottery, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 9BL.
• St Peter's Mission, Manor Road, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 7EA. Stratford-upon-Avon Baptist Church, Church Office, Payton Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 6UA.
• The Avenue Sports and Social Club, Avenue Farm Industrial Estate, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 0HR.
• Bishopton Community Centre, Drayton Avenue, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 9PB.
• The Council Chamber, Stratford-on-Avon District Council, Elizabeth House, Church Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 6HX.
• The Ken Kennett Centre, Justins Avenue, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 0DA.
• Tiddington Community Centre, Main Road, Tiddington, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 7AY.   

The counting of the votes will be held immediately after the close of poll at The Council Chamber, Stratford-on-Avon District Council Offices, Elizabeth House, Church Street, Stratford-upon-Avon.

To check you are on the Electoral Register and eligible to vote or to register please contact the District Council's Electoral Services on 01789 260208 Tuesday 13 November 2018.    

The Stratford-upon-Avon Neighbourhood Plan was independently examined last year in April and May and the Examiner recommended that, subject to some proposed modifications, the Plan should proceed to referendum.  

At The Cabinet meeting on 8 October, Councillors agreed to progress the Plan to the next stage and go to referendum.  

The referendum will be asking whether the community wish to see the District Council use the Neighbourhood Plan to decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area (which is based on the Parish boundary).           

In accordance with the Neighbourhood Planning (Referendum) Regulations 2012 (as amended) the Local Planning Authority must publicise the referendum for a minimum of 28 working days prior to the date of the referendum.  

A number of documents (referred to as 'specified documents' in the Regulations) have been produced in order to help with the voting process. These specified documents can be viewed on the District Council's website on the page dedicated to the Stratford-upon-Avon Neighbourhood Plan at https://www.stratford.gov.uk/planning-regeneration/stratford-upon-avon-neighbourhood-plan.cfm.

Alternatively, these documents may be inspected at:  

• The District Council offices at Elizabeth House, Church Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 6HX, during normal opening hours - Monday - Wednesday 8.45am to 5.15pm and Thursday - Friday 8.45am to 5pm.
• Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council, Town Hall, Sheep Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 6EF, during normal opening hours.
• Stratford-upon-Avon Library, 12 Henley Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 6PZ. Opening hours - Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm and Saturday 10am to 3pm.
• Alcester Library, Globe House, Priory Road, Alcester, B49 5DZ. Opening hours - Monday and Wednesday to Friday 9.30am to 5.30pm and Saturday 10.00am to 4.00pm (limited service 1.00pm to 4.00pm on Saturday).
• Henley Community Library, The Old Schoolroom, Henley-in-Arden Methodist Church, 115 High Street, Henley-in-Arden, B95 5AU. Opening hours - Tuesday and Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm; Wednesday and Saturday 9.00am to 1.00pm.
• Shipston-on-Stour Library, 12 Church Street, Shipston-on-Stour, CV36 4AP. Opening hours - Monday and Saturday 9.30am to 12.30pm; Tuesday and Thursday 9.30am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 5.30pm.
• Southam Library, Tithe Place, High Street, Southam, CV37 0HB. Opening hours - Monday to Tuesday and Thursday to Friday 9.30am to 5.30pm; Saturday 9.30am to 12.30pm.
• Wellesbourne Library, Kineton Road, Wellesbourne, CV35 9NF. Opening hours - Monday and Saturday 9.30am to 12.30pm; Wednesday and Friday 9.30am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 5.30pm.  

Neighbourhood planning is a key component of the Government's Localism Act, introducing a new tier of planning. The Localism Act devolves greater powers to councils and neighbourhoods, giving local people new rights to shape the development of the communities in which they live by taking a more active role in the development of planning policy at a local level.  

The Act makes it clear that a Neighbourhood Plan will have to generally conform to the Development Plan produced by the District Council.