Neighbourhood Plan

Shepton’s Neighbourhood Plan
Your chance to influence how the town develops

A Neighbourhood Plan is a new way of helping local communities to influence the planning of the area in which they live and work.

It can be used to:

• Develop a shared vision for our town

• Choose where additional new homes*, shops, offices and other development should be built

• Identify and protect important local green spaces

• Influence what new buildings should look like

Your local knowledge, and your sense of what needs to be protected and what needs to change, can really make a difference.

Everyone in the community will be given the opportunity to get involved – residents, community organisations, businesses, landowners and others.

Two opportunities to get involved

The final Plan has to be successful at a referendum, so it needs to be supported by the majority of people in the town and include what they want to see improved, developed or protected.

The Town Council is funding the engagement and plan drafting part of the process; and has appointed Matt Day of Somerset Towns Forum to coordinate this. Mendip District Council has the responsibility to deliver the formal consultation, referendum and independent examination that are needed.

Though instigated by the Town Council, the Plan will not be a Town Council-led document. It will be a community-led document that has weight (influence) on planning issues and applications for the next 10-15 years.

The Town Council will also use the issues identified to inform it’s work plan.

* Neighbourhood Plans must comply with the Local Plan’s strategic objectives.

What Neighbourhood Plans can and cannot do

Frequently Asked Questions

How to get involved