BURLEY-in-Wharfedale’s Neighbourhood Plan, which will help shape development in the parish until 2030, has taken a significant step forward.

Neighbourhood Plans are a means to enable local people to have greater say over any form of development in their communities, under the Localism Act.

Over the past four years Burley Parish Council has been working with their local community to produce a Neighbourhood Development Plan. The Parish Council has undertaken a number of evidence gathering and consultation exercises to gather the views of the community which has then been translated into a number of planning policies and land designations.

The Parish Council has submitted their proposed Neighbourhood Plan to Bradford Council as the plan as they wish to see adopted. For Details of earlier work can be found via the Burley Parish Council website.

Bradford Council is now formally inviting comments from the wider public and interest bodies/organisations. The consultation runs for six weeks from Monday, 12 June to 5pm on Monday 24 July 2017.

Following the consultation the Council will submit the plan for examination by an independent Planning Inspector. Subject to the Inspector’s report the Council can then hold a local referendum to allow the local community to vote whether or not they think the plan should be ‘made’. If the plan receives a majority vote in favour it will can then become part of the statutory development plan, the Local Plan, for the Bradford District.

The consultation documents and comment forms are available online at: https://www.bradford.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning-policy/neighbourhood-areas/.

Hard copies of the consultation documents are available for inspection at Burley Library, Ilkley Library, City Library, Local Studies Library and the Council’s Customer Contact Centre at Britannia House, Bradford.

Comment forms must be either emailed to planning.policy@bradford.gov.uk or posted to: Local Plans Team, City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, 4th Floor Britannia House, Broadway, Bradford, BD1 1HX. The Council must receive comments at the above addresses by 5pm on Monday 21st July 2017.

If you have any further queries about neighbourhood planning or this consultation, contact the Local Plan Team on (01274) 433679.