Neighbourhood Plan

Harberton Parish Neighbourhood Plan

A Neighbourhood Plan gives communities direct power to develop a shared vision for their neighbourhood and shape the development and growth of their local area.

Harberton Parish as a community will have a greater say in shaping the areas in which we live and work and in supporting appropriate new development proposals for the future.  The Neighbourhood Plan forms part of the development plan and sits alongside the Joint Local Plan (JLP) which has been prepared by the local planning authority.

Decisions on planning applications will be made using both the JLP and the Neighbourhood Plan, and any other material considerations.  Drafting a Neighbourhood Plan means that planning decisions will be based on better informed and more detailed policies than if Harberton Parish were only covered by the JLP.

The Neighbourhood Plan reflects local ideas and opinions, aiming to ensure that the Parish’s identity is protected and that it will have a sustainable, healthy and prosperous future.

The Plan

The plan is still in draft.  This is the most current version:

Download Harberton Parish Neighbourhood Plan Draft 27th February 2020

This is a PDF file of 72 Pages – approx 3MB

The plan is in a process of review, bearing in mind that it has been several years since the housing sites named within the plan were first identified.  The Neighbourhood Plan committee followed advice to circulate a new Call for Sites which closed on 30th September 2022 and is undertaking further public consultation events to help make updates to the plan and enable its completion as soon as possible.

Harberton Parish Neighbourhood Plan Meetings

Minutes for all HNP Meetings are held in the Parish Council minutes archive. 

Harberton Parish Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group Steering Group meet on the third Monday of the month, 7:00 to 9:00 pm.

Please come along – you will be made very welcome and your views listened to during these meetings.

The group can consist of up to 21 voting members.

New members can be co-opted by a vote of existing members at steering group meetings.

The steering group is guided by the principles of democracy, transparency and accountability and members are obliged to adhere to Harberton Parish Council’s code of conduct.  More information can be found in the steering group terms of reference.

Current members include:   Cllr Chris Bowley, Alex Crowe, Jem Friar, Cllr Douglas Hambly, Sally Lougher,  Prana Simon.  Meeting minutes are taken by Cat Radford, the Parish Clerk.

The Story So Far

  • 2012   Harberton Parish Council resolved to create a Neighbourhood Plan
  • 2013   Application for Designation of Neighbourhood Area was submitted to the local authority and was approved by the Executive Committee in March
  • 2013   HNP Steering Group was formed
  • 2013   First Consultation – A simple survey was sent to all households and open days were held in Harberton and Harbertonford.  See collated responses to the 2014 consultation here.
  • 2014   First draft Neighbourhood Plan was written and published
  • 2015   Second Consultation – open days were carried out in Harberton and Harbertonford
  • 2015   Second Consultation – detailed questionnaire was sent to every household in the Parish (two copies, twice over 3 months)
  • 2015  Responses to the second consultation events were compiled.  See responses from the open days and the questionnaires here
  • 2015   Re-draft the Neighbourhood Plan chapters based on the responses from the open days and the questionnaires
  • 2016   Consultation with South Hams District Council
  • 2016   Detailed Consultation and re-writing of each chapter of the Draft Harberton Parish Neighbourhood Plan
  • 2017   Site visits, site assessments and draft conditions to housing sites identified to date
  • 2017   Detailed consultation with South Hams District Council leading to draft and policy adjustments
  • 2021   Review of progress on the Draft Neighbourhood Plan (following hiatus during the pandemic)
  • 2022   Housing Needs Assessment undertaken by AECOM
  • 2022   Call for Sites undertaken between 26th July and 30th September 2022
  • 2023 A Community Conversation took place in Harbertonford CE Primary School on 10th June 2023.  See the information collected during the conversation here.  If you couldn’t make it to the event, you can still let us know your views on the main questions discussed (listed in the link above). And everyone can also comment on the priorities and ideas that emerged – do you agree with them? If so, or if not, let us know why.  Email us at clerk@harbertonparishcouncil.org.
  • 2023 Site Options Assessment was undertaken by AECOM. Final amendments are being made before publication.
  • 2023 Work on a Design Code for the Harberton Parish area was undertaken by AECOM and completed in September 2023

Still to happen!

  • The Harberton Parish Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group to undertake a full review and update of the draft plan (last updated in 2020)
  • Public consultation on the results of the Site Options Assessment following the 2022 Call for Sites
  • A Strategic Environmental Assessment of the draft plan, to be undertaken by AECOM consultants
  • Statutory consultation of Parish residents, stakeholders and other interested parties
  • Create final draft of Neighbourhood Plan based on responses
  • Submit to Parish Council for approval
  • Parish Council to submit to SHDC and Planning Inspector
  • If approved, South Hams District Council will conduct a referendum in the Parish – a simple  yes/no vote to support or reject the Neighbourhood Plan.