Oxenhope Neighbourhood Development Plan (Regulation 16) July 2021

Foreword

Welcome to the Neighbourhood Plan for Oxenhope

Work on development of the Neighbourhood Plan commenced in October 2016 when a project team was formed following a well-attended public consultation and engagement event. The team includes Village Councillors, Oxenhope residents and planning consultants from Integreat PLUS, who we appointed to guide and advise us through the process. We also enrolled over 100 stakeholders who contributed with online responses, comments and ideas throughout the process.

The government guidelines for producing Neighbourhood Plans are not designed to prevent development, but to ensure that any developments are of appropriate scale and character within each Neighbourhood Plan area. We are fortunate to live in a very attractive and distinctive area, both in terms of the natural landscape and the built environment. Oxenhope has a rich and diverse heritage, and it continues to attract visitors, tourists and new residents. Oxenhope also supports many businesses of different types.

The underlying aim of the Plan is to seek to ensure sustainable development within Oxenhope that meets the needs of current and future generations, whilst protecting and enhancing the natural, built and historic environment. These goals are mutually dependent. Conserving and enhancing the natural and built environment will not only improve the lives of people, but can further strengthen the economy through tourism and business.

The Plan provides an important opportunity to ensure that development is well planned and takes account of the views and aspirations of the local community. This is fundamentally important.

We would like to thank the members of the project team, other Village Councillors and the many village residents who have contributed in various ways, including attending events and completing surveys and questionnaires. In addition we would like to thank Integreat PLUS for their advice and support and Locality for providing the grant funding that has enabled production of this Plan and supported our journey through the process.

We hope this Neighbourhood Plan makes a lasting contribution to Oxenhope.

Cllr Peter McManus

Chair, Neighbourhood Plan Project Team

Cllr Ken Eastwood

Chair, Oxenhope Village Council