The Town Council has invited Tameside MBC to designate the area covered by the Town Council (the Tameside MBC ward of Mossley) as a Neighbourhood Plan Area.
By preparing a Neighbourhood Plan the Town Council hopes to generate a shared future vision for the Town of Mossley in which the community will be involved and take greater ownership of. This is a way in which the residents and businesses can have a direct say in how the town develops.
The plan will cover development, architecture, housing, the use of land and buildings, the environment, heritage and issues similar to the planning concerns people are familiar with. It can go further than that and not only look at a whole range of concerns, but also new ideas.
The Plan will help to shape the development and growth of the locality looking not only at the planning issues, but also how we as a community work together on our shared aspirations.
The concept of neighbourhood planning has been taken up by many areas across the country as a way for Parish, Town Councils or neighbourhood groups, to shape their own area,
The Town Council unanimously agreed to pursue the preparation of a plan for the whole of Mossley at the meeting on Wednesday 24 February 2021 after the Chair (Town Councillor Frank Travis) delivered a presentation to colleagues.
The community will be encouraged to become fully involved. There will be a need to not only be positive, but also innovative and realistic. The task before the community will not be easy and there will be a need for cooperation from within our community. The outcome will achieve a community based plan for the foreseeable future in which all members of the community will have had an input.
The Neighbourhood Plan has to be approved by Tameside Council as the Local Planning Authority, before being put to public vote. This opens up a new era in consultation and awareness for people on how processes can be used to express their views.
The process cannot involve a negative approach to development, but rather how we work with the community, organisations, developers, experts in their own fields and the Local Planning Authority, to achieve a workable plan to take forward a wider vision for the town.
The Plan will take a considerable time to produce and there are considerable costs involved, not only financial but also in commitment by all involved parties.
It is the Town Council’s view that the final Plan will be a worthwhile investment for the community.
The Town Council will receive ongoing support from Tameside.
Mike Iveson
Clerk to the Town Council