Tenterden Neighbourhood Plan
Adoption of Neighbourhood Plan
Following the positive referendum result, Ashford Borough Council is publishing its decision to 'make' the Tenterden Neighbourhood Development Plan 2013 - 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 Tenterden Neighbourhood Plan [pdf] 27592KB
View Appendix 2 (Design Code) of the Tenterden Neighbourhood Plan [pdf] 33354KB
View the Regulation 19 Decision Statement [pdf] 128KB
View the Public Notice [pdf] 136KB
Hard copies of the Neighbourhood Plan and Decision Statement will be available to view shortly at the Civic Centre, Ashford Gateway and Tenterden Gateway, during their usual opening times.
Referendum - Thursday 15 August
The Referendum for the Tenterden 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 | 1,289 | 88% |
| Number cast in favour of a No | 180 | 12% |
The Neighbourhood Plan will now shortly progress to adoption.
View the Referendum version of the Neighbourhood Plan [pdf] 41209KB.
Information about the referendum, including the Information Statement is available to view by accessing the following documents.
Tenterden Neighbourhood Plan Referendum Information Statement [pdf] 248KB.
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 Tenterden Neighbourhood Plan, with modifications, can proceed to referendum.
Regulation 18 Decision Statement - Tenterden Neighbourhood Plan [pdf] 262KB
Regulation 18 Public Notice - Tenterden Neighbourhood Plan [pdf] 137KB
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 Tenterden Neighbourhood Plan in December 2023. The Examination commenced on 14 December 2023.
The Independent Examination has now been completed. The Council received the Examiner's report on 25 April 2024. The Examiner's report recommended that the Tenterden Neighbourhood Plan 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.
View the Examiner's report of the Tenterden Neighbourhood Plan [pdf] 436KB
Under Regulation 18 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (as amended), Ashford Borough Council has a duty to respond to the Examiner's report and the proposed modifications within it, in a formal 'Decision Statement' to indicate whether they agree to the Examiner's recommendations and if the plan will progress to public referendum within the parish. A copy of the Regulation 18 Decision Statement is located in the section above.
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 16 January 2024.
View the Examiner's Procedural Matters and Questions [pdf] 229KB
Tenterden Town Council Response to Examiner's Questions
View the response from Tenterden Town Council to the Examiner's questions [pdf] 13335KB
Additional documents submitted by Tenterden Town Council
Historic Landscape Assessment [pdf] 7170KB
Historic Routeways AONB Map [pdf] 312KB
ABC response to Examiner's Questions
View the response from Ashford Borough Council to the Examiner's questions [pdf] 308KB
Comments on Tenterden Town Council's response to Examiner's Questions
Consultation on submission Neighbourhood Plan (Regulation 16)
Tenterden Town Council submitted their Neighbourhood Plan to Ashford Borough Council. A consultation on the Neighbourhood Plan started on 11 August 2023 and ran until 5pm on 6 October 2023.
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.
Pre-submission consultation (Regulation 14)
Tenterden Town Council held an eight week consultation on the pre-submission draft Neighbourhood Plan (June 2021).
The consultation closed on 18 August 2021.
Area Designation
Following the consultation, Tenterden is now a designated neighbourhood area. This has been approved in accordance with section 61G of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
The Area Designation for Tenterden is included in the key documents set out below:
Designation Notice Tenterden [pdf] 285 KB
Tenterden Neighbourhood Area Designation Report [pdf] 642KB
