Aldington and Bonnington Neighbourhood Plan
Adoption of Neighbourhood Plan
Following the positive referendum result, Ashford Borough Council is publishing its decision to 'make' the Aldington & Bonnington Neighbourhood Plan 2011 - 2030 as part of Ashford Borough Council's Development Plan in accordance with Regulation 19 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012.
The Adopted Neighbourhood Plan and formal Regulation 19 Decision Statement, as required under the Neighbourhood Planning Regulations, is included in the key documents set out below:
View the Aldington & Bonnington Neighbourhood Plan [pdf] 19238KB
View Appendix C: Design Guidelines & Code [pdf] 5174KB
View the Regulation 19 Decision Statement [pdf] 128KB
View the Public Notice [pdf] 118KB
Hard copies of the Neighbourhood Plan and Decision Statement will be available to view shortly at the Civic Centre and Ashford Gateway, during their usual opening times.
Referendum - Thursday 15 August
The Referendum for the Aldington & Bonnington Neighbourhood Plan was held on Thursday 15 August 2024. The referendum result was as follows:
| Numbers cast | Votes Recorded | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Number cast in favour of a Yes | 262 | 90% |
| Number cast in favour of a No | 30 | 10% |
The Neighbourhood Plan will now shortly progress to adoption.
Information about the referendum, including the Information Statement is available to view by accessing the following documents.
Aldington & Bonnington Referendum Information Statement [pdf] 220KB.
Draft Aldington & Bonnington Neighbourhood Plan [pdf] 17MB (please read in conjunction with the proposed modifications in Appendix 1 of the Examiner's Report [pdf] 392KB)
Regulation 18 - Council's Decision Statement
Ashford Borough Council has now considered the contents of the Examiner’s Report and have prepared a Decision Statement setting out the actions to be taken in response to the recommendations of the Examiner.
The Decision Statement confirms that the Aldington & Bonnington Neighbourhood Plan, with modifications, can proceed to referendum.
Regulation 18 Decision Statement - Aldington & Bonnington Neighbourhood Plan [pdf] 247KB
Regulation 18 Public Notice - Aldington & Bonnington Neighbourhood Plan [pdf] 139KB
Independent Examination of the Neighbourhood Plan
Ashford Borough Council appointed Mr. Derek Stebbing B.A. (Hons), Dip. E.P., MRTPI as the Independent Examiner of the review of the Aldington & Bonnington Neighbourhood Plan in February 2024.
The Independent Examination has now been completed. The Council received the Examiner's report on 20 June 2024. The Examiner's report recommended that the Aldington & Bonnington Neighbourhood Plan 2022 - 2030 has been duly prepared in compliance with the procedural requirements and that the Plan, subject to a number of modifications (set out in Appendix 1 of the Examiner's report below), meets the Basic Conditions and should proceed to referendum.
Aldington & Bonnington Examiner's Report [pdf] 392KB
Ashford Borough Council has a duty1 to respond to the Examiners Report and the proposed modifications within it, in a formal 'Decision Statement' to indicate whether they agree to the Examiners recommendations and if the plan will progress to public Referendum within the parishes. This is located above.
1 Under Regulation 18 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (as amended)
Examination Documents
The Examiner has set out the procedural matters for how the Examination will progress, and asked some questions of the Qualifying body and the Council in correspondence dated 26 February 2024.
View the Examiner's Procedural Matters and Questions [pdf] 645KB
Aldington & Bonnington Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group response to Examiner's Questions
Aldington & Bonnington Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group Response [pdf] 646KB
Consultation on the Neighbourhood Plan (Regulation 16)
Aldington & Bonnington Parish Council have submitted their Neighbourhood Plan to Ashford Borough Council. A consultation on the Neighbourhood Plan started on 15 December 2023 and ran until 5pm on Friday 9 February 2024.
The consultation has now closed.
Following the consultation, the Neighbourhood Plan will progress to an Independent Examination.
If you wish to view the plan and the supporting documentation, please view the Neighbourhood Plan via our online consultation portal.
Consultation on the draft Neighbourhood Plan (Regulation 14)
As part of the requirements of the Localism Act 2011 and Regulation 14 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (as amended), the Parish Council undertook a six week Pre-Submission consultation (Regulation 14 Stage) on the draft Aldington & Bonnington Neighbourhood Plan.
The consultation closed on 10 July 2023.
To view the consultation draft of the Neighbourhood Plan please visit Aldington & Bonnington Parish Council's Neighbourhood Plan webpages, using the link below.
View the Aldington & Bonnington Neighbourhood Plan consultation documents
The Parish Council are now reviewing the comments received and preparing the Submission Version of the Plan, which will be formally consulted on in due course.
Area Designation
Aldington and Bonnington Parish Council submitted a request to designate the parishes of Aldington and Bonnington as a neighbourhood area on 7 November 2019.
In accordance with Regulation 5A of The Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (as amended) the borough council has exercised its powers under section 61G of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to designate the neighbourhood area without consultation.
The parishes of Aldington and Bonnington are now designated as a neighbourhood area.
The area designation is included in the key documents set out below:
Aldington and Bonnington Neighbourhood Area Designation Report [pdf] 149KB
Aldington and Bonnington Area Request [pdf] 263KB
For information on progress of the Neighbourhood Plan, please view the Parish Council Neighbourhood Plan website.
