Application for Variations to the Outline Planning Granted
T A Fisher have applied for some variations to the outline plan which was granted. The details can be seen here.
Outline Planning Application Granted
Outline planning permission was granted on 14th Feb 2019 . The details can be seen here.
Outline Planning Application
The outline planning permission submitted by T A Fisher to build 110 homes on The Site allocated by the NDP can be see here.
Declaration of Referendum Result 23rd June 2017
Mortimer NDP Results 22nd June 2017
The results of today's referendum are:
Turnout 50.1 %
NO 172
YES 1375
88.88% yes
So Mortimer now has an NDP as part of its planning system.
22nd June 2017
It is very important for the future of the village that the result of today's referendum has the support of as many people as possible. So please be part of this process and go and vote today.
So Did You Know?...
If you haven't time to read the NDP itself or even just the policies, you might like to read a short summary which explains some of how we got to this NDP and what is in it; it is in the form of a series of Did You Knows?
Mortimer NDP Referendum (22nd June) - postal and proxy vote FAQs
Q) I am already registered for a postal vote, does this apply to the Mortimer NDP referendum too?
A) Yes, existing postal registrations apply automatically to Mortimer NDP. You’ll receive your voting form between 7th and 19th June.
Q) I am registered for a permanent proxy schemes (e.g. working away from home) does this apply to Mortimer NDP too?
A) Yes, a permanent proxy arrangement applies to Mortimer NDP
Q) I am going away on holiday and am either not registered for a postal or proxy vote or registered for a postal vote but suspect I will be away when the form arrives. How do I ensure I can vote on 22nd June?
A) You’re recommended now is to appoint a friend or family member to vote in person as your proxy. You need to complete and return an application form to WBC by 5pm on 14th June. It’s also possible for that appointed proxy to post their proxy vote back - but in that case they are need to call Electoral Services on 01635 519464 and will need to have applied by 5pm on 7th June.
Q) Where do I find the relevant proxy vote application forms?
A) temporarily away from home (ie holiday)
permanent proxy (only applicable for specific cases)
Q) Where do I send the forms?
A) Forms must be sent/delivered to by the relevant deadlines to:
West Berkshire Council
Electoral Registration Officer
West Berkshire Council
Market Street
Newbury
Berkshire RG14 5LD.
ELigibility to vote - Update
An article in the Newbury Weekly News has confused a few people with regard to eligibility to vote in the forthcoming referendum. If you are registered to vote in the national election then you are registered for the referendum. The dates for new registration for the referendum are postal votes by 5pm on the 7th June and proxy votes by 5pm on the 14th of June. The WBC Electoral team expect to be sending out the bulk of poll cards by second class post on 2nd of June
NDP Policies - 19th May 2017
Everyone is encouraged to read the final full NDP document before voting in the referendum where the evidence and justification for all the policies are fully explained. If you want to just read an extract of the policies click here.
Frequently Asked Questions - 16th May 2107
To help everyone understand the forthcoming referendum, a number of FAQs have been made available here.
Referendum Update - 12th May 2017
West Berkshire Council has now published all the information pertaining to the NDP Referendum on 22nd June. This includes a link to the draft NDP, the independent examiner's report, how to obtain a postal vote and the Notice of Referendum.
22nd June - Referendum Date
The NDP Referendum will be held on June 22nd. It will be organised by West Berkshire Council and will be organisationally just like a national or district election in terms of polling cards, postal votes etc
9th May 2017 - West Berkshire Council Decision
West Berkshire Council have this evening decided that the Mortimer Neighbourhood Plan shoud go to a referendum. All registered electors resident in the parish of Stratfield Mortimer will be eligible to vote. The date will be confirmed shortly.
Update on NDP - Your Vote Counts
On the 9th of May West Berkshire Council will decide if the NDP will go to a referendum to seek the endorsement of the community. Assuming that on 9th May WBC agrees the NDP should go to referendum, it will quickly set the date for that referendum. The process is very similar to a normal local election and is likely to take place in June. You will be voting either Yes or No to the whole NDP.
The NDP contains policies which will govern where development can take place within the parish from now until 2026. West Berkshire Council as part of their wider plan, requires Mortimer to find room for up to 110 houses in that time period in addition to any houses built within the village settlement boundary. The NDP says that up to 110 houses should be built in the field behind St. John’s School and provides land for a new Infant School and Surgery to be built on.
The NDP contains policies that give additional control over the design and mix of any development and allow for public consultation on a Site Design Brief for any major development before a planning application.
A parish with an NDP gets to spend more of the money developers have to provide for local services.
The final version of the NDP document that you are being asked to vote YES for in the referendum is available online or there is a paper copy in Mortimer Library
This is such an important issue for Mortimer - please vote and please vote YES !
WBC Consultation 3rd March - 18th April 2017
WBC is running a consultation from 3rd March - 18th April 2017 on the proposed officer recommendation that the NDP should proceed to referendum. Details of the consultation, supporting documents and a representation form are at www.westberks.gov.uk/smndp. Hard copies of the representation form, officer note and appendices are available at the Council’s Market Street offices in Newbury and at Mortimer library.
Request to proceeed to Referendum - 9th Feb 2017
At the Parish Council meeting of 9th Feb 2017 the Parish Council agreed the following
“The Parish Council recommends that the West Berkshire District Council rejects the Examiner's recommendation as set out in his report dated 25th October 2016 and formally agrees that the Stratfield Mortimer Neighbourhood Development Plan proceeds to referendum following the analysis of the further evidence submitted by the Stratfield Mortimer Neighbourhood Planning Group"
The NDP will contain all the minor recommendations made by the Examiner, but in light of new information, still allocates up to 110 houses on MOR006. If WBC accept the NDP (expected to be decided at their May meeting) it will then proceed to referendum in the summer.
New Maps - 6th Feb 2017
A scaling error has been found is some of the maps used in the NDP. The Examiner has authorised the use of the following maps which correct this in any future NDP documents issued:
Map showing settlement boundary (p 20 of NDP Feb 2016)
Map showing site allocated (p20 of NDP Feb 2016)
Map showing commercial centre (p43 of NDP Feb 2016)
Map showing Area 13 Biodiversity Opportunity Area (p51 of NDP Feb 2016)
Map showing proposed Green Open Spaces in village (p56 of NDP Feb 2016)
Map showing proposed Green Open Spaces in parish (p57 of NDP Feb 2016)
Latest NDP News - 6th Feb 2017
The NDP Steering Group has considered a recent landscape study in conjunction with the NDP Examiner's Report and all other evidence and are recommending to the Parish Council that SMPC should recommend to WBC that the NDP proceed to referendum. This will be discussed at the SMPC meeting on 9th Feb 2017. The Steering GRoup's Report and the Landscape Sudy can be seen here.
Current Village Planning Issues - 20th Jan 2017
Several things have happened lately which impinge on the NDP; the Parish Council has issued a statement which explains them and how they are linked.
NDP Document Update - 13th Jan 2017
The Parish Council agreed to all the minor modifications to the plan that were suggested by the Inspector. The vast majority of the changes were just for clarity or to correct typos. There were a few that were of more significance such as the deletion of several areas that the plan had designated as ‘Green Spaces’, because they already have protection, and the wording of the policy to restrict the likelihood of flooding, which strengthens and clarifies the policy. On reflection their acceptance does not cause any practical difficulties.
All the minor modifications will only become relevant if WBC decide to proceed to a referendum. To that end the Inspector’s reasons for his recommendation not to progress the NDP to referendum will be considered at a future Parish Council meeting, after WBC has reported the results of the landscape assessment they have commissioned. That meeting will then be asked to consider if the new information, together with other factors, are sufficient to overcome the Inspector’s concerns. If it is believed that they are sufficient then those views will be sent to WBC. This would then inform their decision as to whether to accept the Inspector’s recommendation not to proceed to a referendum.
NDP FAQs - 20th Dec 2016
New FAQs have been added to the FAQ section.
NDP Progress report - 9th December 2016
Meetings have been held with WBC to discuss the future of the NDP.
As a result of those meetings WBC are commissioning landscape assessments of the sites in Mortimer so that they are better informed about that aspect of the examiner’s report. This will assist them in preparing their report to their Council meeting which will make a decision on a way forward.
At the same time both the parish council and WBC are considering the minor amendments to the NDP document that were suggested by the examiner. WBC are going to send through their suggestions to the parish council for comment. It is recognised that most of the minor amendments are just that, minor, and as such should be acceptable. The intention is to report back on this issue to the January meeting of the parish council.
Examiner's Report - Update 17th November 2016
The examiner’s report on this plan has been received by West Berkshire Council.
“Summary of Main Findings
1. Whilst the draft NDP is in general conformity with the strategic policies of the development plan, I find that potential landscape and visual impacts have not been considered properly when promoting The Site (the land to the south of St John’s Infants School) for development. Having regard to national policy, which gives importance to environmental as well as to economic and social considerations, I am not satisfied that the making of the NDP is appropriate nor that it would as a whole contribute to the achievement of sustainable development. My recommendation must therefore be that the proposal to make the NDP be refused.
2. But for this issue of site selection (which is, however, a central part of the draft NDP), I would have recommended that the draft Plan be submitted to referendum with modifications (set out below). I also find that the legislative requirements have otherwise been met.”
The examiner’s report is a recommendation to West Berkshire Council who normally have a period of five weeks to make a decision.
The Parish Council discussed the situation with West Berkshire Council. At its full council meeting on 10th November, the Parish Council passed a resolution” requesting WBC to make a decision on the Examiner's report by 1st May 2017, to allow time for full consideration of the recommendations and issues raised in the report”.
Having now received West Berkshire Council’s response, we are in position to issue this statement. WBC have accepted this request and will therefore make a decision as to whether or not to accept the examiner’s recommendation by 1st May 2017.
This will allow the Parish Council and the NDP group time to actively consider the Inspector’s report and provide West Berkshire District Council an informed response to:
- The issue of landscape raised by the Inspector and
- Detailed responses to each of the suggested modifications that the Inspector suggests he would have asked for if he was recommending the plan for referendum.
What happens now:
- SMPC will review suggested modifications to the report and return comments to WBC for consideration.
- In this process only points / suggestions relating to those raised by the Examiner can be considered.
- WBC will consider any recommendations and decide what action to take. This is the responsibility of WBC and not SMPC.
The examiner’s report will soon be available on the West Berkshire website or an individual copy can be obtained from Rachael.Lancaster@westberks.gov.uk
Report of Public Hearing
The public hearing of the NDP took place in Council Chambers in Newbury on the 24th and the morning of 25th August 2016. The Inspector spent the second afternoon conducting a site inspection in Mortimer to ensure he had a full understanding of all the issues raised by those who responded to the latest round of consultation.
The Inspector will take some weeks to produce his report which will then be made public.
Public Hearing
NDP Progress
The WBC consultation on the Stratfield Mortimer NDP has now closed. You can see the representations made on the WBC website by clicking on Who Said What? in the local Plan Consultation Portal page.
An External Examiner for the NDP has been appointed, but any communication must be via WBC. It will be his decision whether the NDP can go forward to a parish referendum.
The WBC consultation on the Stratfield Mortimer NDP runs from 4th March 2016 to 15th April 2016 and can be accessed via the
WBC website.
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NDP Consultation
The NDP document has now been completed. It was accepted by the Parish Council for Pre-Submission Consultation on 8th October. The 6 week Pre-Submission consultation has now closed (midnight 21st December). The Steering Group is now working through all the representations received; these will be published in due course together with an updated version of the NDP document. Once the Parish Council has considered the updated version it will be forwarded to West Berkshire Council who will arrange the Public Examiner and their own 6 week consultation
The Evidence Base which has been used in the development of the NDP document contains all the documents concerned with consultation as well as external evidence
Site Design Public Meeting
There will be a public meeting where everyone can contribute their ideas to the Site Design Brief on 21st September at 7:30pm in St. John's Hall. Some initial ideas for the layout and design of The Site (field behind St. John's School) will be on display and everyone's ideas and comments will be recorded and considered. You can get a preview of the displays HERE.
Comments can be emailed to this website until the end of Wednesday 23rd September.
Draft NDP
The Draft policies have now been expanded into a draft NDP. When this is completed and becomes the final draft, it will be made available for public consultation. In the meantime the latest draft can be seen HERE (23rd Aug 2015)
Draft Policies
Draft Policies based on the questionnaire results are now available for comment (by 20th June)
Questionnaire Results
The NDP Questionnaires have now all been processed. You can see the results by clicking on the data picture. A paper copy is available in Mortimer Library. Analysis of the data will be published in the same way at a later date.
Thank you to the 1285 people who completed the questionnaire; this represents approximately 40% of the electorate of Stratfield Mortimer - a very good return rate.
Exhibition Responses
Responses to the Exhibition held in the old Budgens shop in February are now available.
Some highlights:
283 registered on the "Where do You Live?" pinmap
786 completed feedback cards were returned
Of the completed residential sites feedback cards
- 61% selected Options 1, a single central site
- 18% selected Options 3, large site with some dispersed sites
- 11% selected the dispersed sites option
- 9% did not state a preference
Welcome to Stratfield Mortimer Neighbourhood Development Plan
Welcome to Mortimer’s Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) website. This site provides a portal to all that is happening with the NDP.
You may ask what the NDP is all about and you will find a lot of detail under the ‘All about NDPs’ link on the left of this page. However the short version is that an NDP makes planning real at a local level, in this case for the Parish of Stratfield Mortimer.
The NDP will deal with new housing, the environment and the infrastructure of the village, among other things. These are all important for the future of the Parish and this website will let you know the progress being made on developing the plan. It will detail community events and consultations and eventually the date of the referendum when the community will be able to vote for or against the plan.
In short if you want to know anything about the NDP, this is the place to find it. We would also encourage you to give your views on any aspect of the plan, or the web site. To do this please use the Facebook link on the right hand side of the page. You can also email us on mortimerndp@gmail.com.
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