HELP shape Farnham’s future by picking up a copy of the Farnham Neighbourhood Plan now, as it gets ready for referendum.

Farnham’s proposed Neighbourhood Plan has moved a step closer to completion after it was announced that independent examiner, Derek Stebbing, found the plan met the basic conditions, subject to the recommended modifications.

The findings came after a thorough review, in which the examiner considered 202 written representations, hosted a public enquiry and made site visits.

On Friday, March 10, a Decision Statement was published, confirming that all of the modifications recommended by the examiner have been accepted and that the plan, as adapted, meets the basic conditions and can proceed to referendum.

The Farnham Neighbourhood Plan is a new type of planning document produced in Farnham, and is part of the Government’s new approach to planning, in simple terms the powerful document gives residents a chance to have their say on a number of different elements that will shape the future of Farnham over the coming years.

These include locations for new housing development; design of new development; land at Woolmead, East Street; sites for businesses; boundaries of built up areas; and protection and enhancement of public open space.

The six main issues which the plan focuses on are – environment; housing; business; Farnham town centre and neighbourhood centres; leisure and wellbeing; and local infrastructure.

The main aim and vision of the plan is for Farnham to continue to thrive, meeting the changing needs of the local community by ensuring new development of high quality design fits well with, and does not erode, the character of the distinctive areas of the town and is supported by improved infrastructure.

In the documents it states that “if passed at a local referendum, the Neighbourhood Plan will be adopted by Waverley Borough Council as the plan which must be used in law to determine planning applications in the area covered by Farnham Town Council”.

The Neighbourhood Plan covers the period from 2013 to 2031. The leader of Farnham Town Council, Carole Cockburn, said: “The Neighbourhood Plan is really important for Farnham. It is about the future of Farnham.

“We do need a majority vote to get it implemented. We have never been aware of opposition, other than developers, and as a town we have always been very united. I think that is one of the achievements actually, that there are people who were at the very first workshop, who have actually lasted all the way through with us.

“We’ve had disagreements all the way through but we’ve talked about it in an adult fashion and sorted it out. The whole process started off as post-it-notes, there was no thought as to how it was going to end up. We didn’t have a master plan and no-body told us what to do.

“The residents associations have been brilliant, they understand why we are doing this. They all been very supportive and very hardworking, as well as many individual residents - they are terrific. The list of everybody who has been involved is huge.”

The referendum, which will likely coincide with the May elections, will ask Farnham electors if they wish Waverley Borough Council to use the Neighbourhood Plan for Farnham to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area.

Ian Kershaw, assistant town clerk, added: “I joined Farnham in June and have been in government all my working life, I was really impressed with the level of consultation that was undertaken to get the plan to this stage.

“It is really rare for any authority, especially an authority the size of Farnham, to produce a 15-year plan. This is significant because of the length of time it covers and the issues that it is covering. It is providing that framework for how land can be used during that period. So it is really important.

“People are starting to realise that if you don’t have a plan you have chaos, so a plan is really something that is needed – this is the first one in Waverley.”

Public engagement (including workshops, exhibitions and surveys) took place regularly throughout the formation of the document, and although starting in October 2011, it wasn’t until May 2013 that workshops were arranged to begin to develop the Neighbourhood Plan.

To view the document go to tinyurl.com/jjuq665, alternatively call the town council offices on 01252 712667.