Parish Cake - Summer 2018

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NDP update What do you think? The neighbourhood plan is shaping up. Here Cllr. Nancy Warne highlights some of the emerging policies and invites you to one of the process’ most important public events DAVID MILLER ARCHITECTS “WHERE PEOPLE Come First” – It’s Your Neighbourhood Plan. This motto for our Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) came from resident Dr Peter Tullett, and we agree that putting people first is at the heart of what we are doing. The Neighbourhood Plan is all about giving residents the opportunity to shape their own future communities through writing planning policies and having a say in where development goes. Everyone gets to vote on the final plan in a referendum next year, and once adopted, Neighbourhood Plan policies will help determine the future of all planning applications in the parish. For 15 months many residents have been involved in helping create a vision for the future of our parish through a series of meetings, workshops and public engagement events. These have been attended by hundreds of people and huge amount of information has been gathered. Last summer the volunteers of the NDP Steering Group (which is made up of parish councillors and residents) set up task groups to involve even more of the community to begin to sort out all this material. PLAN TAKING SHAPE The group has started to write policies for the plan covering Landscape, Heritage, Community and Culture, Access and Movement, Housing and Design, Business and Employment, and Land Use and Social Infrastructure. At the November exhibition you left many comments on these emerging policies and they have now been incorporated. KEEPING IT GREEN AND PROTECTING OUR HERITAGE You told us that the considerations of landscape and heritage protection were top of your list, closely followed by culture and community, with the beauty and richness of both our built heritage and our landscape being what you care about most. It will come as no surprise that so far there are 25 policies in each of these chapters! THE WALKABLE TOWN AND VILLAGE To create vibrant town and village centres you’ve asked us to follow the patterns of the historic landscape and built heritage. Large rambling dormitory housing estates are a relatively modern invention; they are not good for our health as they encourage ABOVE: Anstley Hall Barns in Cambridgeshire, an example of a farmstead redevelopment INSET: Landscape Workshop RIGHT Arial view of Cranbrook overdependence on cars, and don’t necessarily create a sense of community and neighbourliness. A healthier alternative could be a mix of high density mixed housing and business spaces near the settlements centres, together with a collection of small-scale developments based on the historic pattern of dispersed farmsteads. These could be connected to the centres by a network of safe and accessible footpaths, bridle- and cycle-ways, and, of course, improved public transport. BRING LIFE BACK TO THE CENTRE Some residents are worried about Cranbrook “dying on its feet”. To breath life back into the centre we need to create a space where life can happen and where people want to be. But that space may already be 20 Parish Cake • Summer 2018
for there, we just need to use it differently and more flexibly. Perhaps Cranbrook could have a new town square which acts as a focus around which there could be a community centre, restaurants and cafes or a cinema, as well as housing and businesses. In Sissinghurst a new village hall could open out on to the Jubilee Field and create more opportunities for the village to come together. There are many other spaces, including churches, schools and vacant shops, which could become venues for a whole range attractions, encouraging people to come into the centre to enjoy themselves and their community. HOUSING NEED VS. HOUSING DEMAND Our Enterprise Questionnaire identified the need for 300 genuinely affordable homes for those who currently work in the parish. Over 70% of people who work in the parish do not LEFT: Postcards in Sissinghurst live here. There are insufficient smaller homes for older people wanting to downsize, yet interviews with local estate agents confirm that demand outstrips supply for familysized accommodation. WHERE WILL IT GO? An assessment of 19 sites across the parish was undertaken by Jesse Honey, an independent assessor funded by central government. He reported a maximum capacity of 420 dwellings on those sites. However, TWBC are also developing their new Local Plan and think our parish may be able to take a much larger share of housing than this figure indicates (up to c.800). It’s at this point I am reminded of the quote “Houston, we have a problem”. We have managed an agreement with the TWBC Planning Policy department to work collaboratively to decide the site allocations. Can’t afford to live in the parish? NO to executive estates NO to greedy developers NO to disregard for our landscape YES to lifetime affordability YES to great design YES to profits for the community Tell us what you think We now need you to tell us what you think – two exhibitions have been organised so please come and share your views: St. George’s Institute, Sissinghurst • Thursday 28 June, 2pm-9pm • Friday 29 June, 11am -2pm Vestry Hall, Cranbrook • Friday 29 June, 3pm-9pm • Saturday 30 June, 9am-3pm The Crane Valley Land Trust is changing the face of housing in Cranbrook and Sissinghurst Add your strength – join today www.cvlt.org.uk 01580 852558 Parish Cake • Summer 2018 21
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