News

The Steering Group has been very busy through September/October gathering evidence to support our prospective plan.   The results of our very well-supported parish wide survey have given us a good idea of what the Husthwaite community would like to achieve through its new plan but we have to ensure that any proposed policies fit with national and local planning rules e.g. on heritage, landscape etc.

We are also looking for statistical information (mainly from the 2021 Census but also other sources including official North Yorkshire Council records) for the plan, particularly in relation to the provision of  services required by our community.

We are still consulting – in September we sent out a short online survey to local estate agents in an attempt to gain more information on the local housing market and in late October we launched an online survey aimed at respondents to the parish survey who identified as business owners so we can get a more detailed understanding of their needs.  We are also reviewing the findings of our preliminary Biodiversity Audit carried out by Wold Ecology and are considering the need for further detailed surveys of key wildlife in the area.

Work has started with the expert consultants (grant funded) who are:

• preparing a draft set of design codes for the Parish and
• conducting an up-to-date housing needs assessment.

Design codes are a set of illustrated design requirements that provide specific, detailed parameters for the physical development of an area. The aim is to secure high quality, sustainable buildings, wherever sited.  Sadly the weather was not kind the day the design team visited  but their first impressions were still very favourable and they are excited about helping us to achieve essential growth while preserving the ‘essence of Husthwaite’. Watch out for further updates on their work and on our draft overarching ‘vision’ for the plan which we will be sharing soon.

Our call for help – posted both online and in the village newsletter – has not resulted in any response.   If anyone does have some time they could offer over next few months, please do get in touch with Sarah (Aspinall)  via husthwaitepc@hotmail.co.uk.  Absolutely no prior knowledge of planning law required!!

A huge thank you again to all who took part in the Husthwaite Neighbourhood Plan (HNP) survey – the results have been really helpful.

The HNP Team are now working hard using YOUR answers to establish the baseline evidence required for the development of planning policies in the areas that YOU told us are important. These include the following;

• Housing & Heritage: led by Philip Hewitson & Sonia Hunter
• Landscape, Natural Environment & Biodiversity: led by Sarah Harper & Alison Sawalhi
• Business, Transport & Infrastructure: led by Sheila Mowatt & Julia Hampshire
• Sustainability: led by David Aspinall

In addition, Sam Milburn is leading on Equalities Impact and Community data, and we have the help of a Planning consultant, Steve Besford-Foster, paid for by a government grant.

For all these themes we have to pull together all the relevant national and local planning policies and compile relevant statistics and data. This includes more detailed surveys, and carrying out a full Housing Needs Assessment.

How can you help…..?

There is a lot to do and we are keen to keep up the momentum so we can produce the draft plan the community has asked for as soon as possible. We would love some more people to join our team so if you have a particular interest or expertise in any of the above topics, we would be very pleased to hear from you. How much time you can devote is entirely up to you – you can help with research and/or you can get more involved with the creation of the plan itself.

If you are interested and would like to get more information, please get in touch with Sarah Aspinall, by email on husthwaitepc@hotmail.co.uk or by telephone on 01347 868155.

The steering group had a day’s meeting with Steve Besford-Foster, the planning consultant who is guiding us through the process of creating the Neighbourhood Plan. He visited the Parish and advised the group on our next task, which is to put together the base evidence for the plan.

There is a lot of work to do to put together this evidence before we can draft the plan. This includes, for example:

• Consultation with statutory bodies such as the County Council, Environment Agency, Natural England, Historic England, and voluntary/community bodies.
• To research and gather demographic data and historic information about the Parish
• To survey businesses and local estate agents
• To look at national and local planning policy

He was able to point us in the direction of many useful resources and we are now starting work on the themes identified in our survey – Community, Transport, Natural Environment, Heritage and Design, Business/Economy, Facilities.

We need you!

We are keen to bring on board anyone who would like to help with the preparation of the plan – please contact Sarah Aspinall via husthwaitepc@hotmail.co.uk if you are interested or would like to find out more.

We are delighted to announce we have a NEW village website.

Our previous website served us very well, for which we give enormous thanks to Lawrie Hill. It was Lawrie who designed, set up and single-handedly ran the old website for many, many years. We are extremely grateful for all his help and support and his creative input into the NEW website, including the fabulous Neighbourhood Plan/Parish Council logo which he designed.

Thanks to local grants and funding we now have a new platform for the community to enjoy, led by the Parish Council, it allows a number of key village groups to access and edit their own pages and areas of interest. This helps spreads the work to keep the site up to date. On the website you can find out local news and what’s going on in and around Husthwaite.

The NEW website features;

Calendar of events
Parish Council minutes and agendas
Planning applications information
Community information
Details about clubs and societies
News
Photo galleries

Tell us what you think!
Please let us have any suggestions you might have to enhance the website.
Your feedback is important

Next Parish Council Meeting 7pm Tuesday May 14th 2024
Annual meeting followed by Parish Council meeting

Agenda May 24
Agenda Annual 24