Neighbourhood plan adopted for Emsworth following public vote and unanimous council decision

The first of its kind in the borough, the Emsworth Neighbourhood Plan sets out a vision for the area through to 2036, and is the culmination of seven years' work by the neighbourhood plan steering group and the local community.

Voters in Emsworth went to the polls on July 8 to respond to the question ‘do you want Havant Borough Council to use the Neighbourhood plan for Emsworth to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?’.

The turnout was 23 per cent, with the number of votes cast in favour of ‘yes’ being 1,734 (91 per cent) and the number of votes cast in favour of ‘no’ being 168 (nine per cent).

At Havant Borough Council's full council meeting, held on 22 September, members unanimously decided to 'make' the plan.

Stephanie Elsy, Emsworth Forum chair, said: ‘We are really pleased that the plan has been adopted by Havant Council and is now part of the planning guidance for Emsworth.

‘The referendum result was fantastic and shows the commitment of local people to making Emsworth an even better place to live and visit.

‘We are now looking to the future and are looking for new people to join our committee as we have many projects that we want to take forward.’

The council agreed that the plan is adopted with immediate effect so that it becomes part of the statutory development plan for the area.

It now forms part of the suite of planning policies which will be used to determine planning applications in the area.

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