Reg 14 Consultation completed
The formal public consultation on the draft Husthwaite Parish Neighbourhood Development Plan 2025-2036 and draft Husthwaite Design Code is now closed. It ran from 4 December 2025 to 23 January 2026 inclusive.
During the consultation period the Parish Council was looking to obtain the views of residents of the Parish and other stakeholders, including those who work or carry on business in the Parish on-
- The content and wording of the draft HPNDP
- The content of the evidence basis which is set out in the draft HPNDP
- The content and wording of the draft Design Code
Comments were required under the regulations to be in writing and with a name and address provided.
The HNP Steering Group organised several drop in events during the consultation period to answer questions on the Neighbourhood Plan process and on the objectives and policies set out in the draft HPNDP. Over 50 people attended these events and many provided informal feedback which was largely positive.
The Parish Council received written comments (some very lengthy) from 22 local residents/landowners and from 8 organisations including extensive comments from North Yorkshire Council (NYC).
What happens next
All these comments are now being reviewed and recommendations – including changes to the draft HPNDP – will be presented in a draft Consultation Response Statement to the HNP Steering Group and then to the Parish Council as soon as possible.
The ‘submission version’ of the draft HPNDP will then be prepared along with a number of formal documents including a Conditions Statement and Engagement Statement. It is hoped to have everything ready to submit to NYC in early April 2026.
NYC will publicise all the submission documents and invite comments over a further six week period (the ‘Reg 16 consultation’). An Independent Examiner is then appointed to examine the draft HPNDP and supporting documents, including all comments received. If the Plan is found to be satisfactory by the Independent Examiner (with modifications if necessary), he/she will recommend that the HPNDP be adopted. NYC must then arrange for a local referendum to take place (with at least 28 days’ notice) to confirm that Parish residents agree that the HPNDP should become formal planning policy. If more than 50% of those voting in the referendum vote ‘yes’, then NYC will bring the plan into legal force.
It is hard to say how long this will all take but we are hoping that the process can be completed this summer.
Why are we doing a Neighbourhood Plan?
The HPNDP is about local people shaping the future of Husthwaite.
The new Neighbourhood Plan will update and build upon the old Parish Plan produced in 2007 but will have a greater impact. Neighbourhood Plans are planning policy documents that can be prepared by local communities. The law says that when a Neighbourhood Plan has been approved (by both the community and the local planning authority), it becomes part of official planning policy. That means:
- Planning decisions must legally take it into account
- Developers must demonstrate compliance with its policies
This is how the community moves from having opinions to having legal influence. The HPNDP will
- Turn community priorities into legal planning policy
- Give Husthwaite a strong voice in planning decisions
- Seek to protect what people value while allowing appropriate change
See Neighbourhood plan documents for more information from the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group.
More information about Neighbourhood Plans
Please contact Sarah Aspinall via husthwaitepc@hotmail.co.uk if you would like to find out more.