What is the Shepton Mallet Neighbourhood Plan?

Shepton Mallet are in the process of creating a Neighbourhood Plan for our town.
A Neighbourhood Plan is a way of helping local communities to influence the planning of the area in which they live and work.
It’s written by the local community, by the people who know and love the area, to ensure our community gets the right types of development, in the right place.
It can be used to:

* Develop a shared vision for our neighbourhood.
* Choose where new homes, shops, offices and other development should be built.
* Identify and protect important local green spaces.
* Influence what new buildings should look like.

Neighbourhood planning is supported by central government through the Localism Act and, attains the same legal status as the Local Plan once it has been approved at a referendum. At this point it comes into force as part of the statutory development plan. Applications for planning permission must be determined in accordance with the development plan (unless material considerations indicate otherwise).

We have developed aims and objectives, based on previous community engagement and we now need you, the community of Shepton Mallet, to tell us what you think of them.

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* 1. Housing and the Built Environment Aim:
To support the future growth, whilst retaining the distinctive historic character of the town, together with maintaining the rural setting and views.

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* 2. Housing and Built Environment Objectives

  Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree
To ensure new development is sustainable and helps to protect the distinctiveness, character and historic assets of the Plan area
To ensure new houses are of high quality design, in keeping with the established character of the area and that meets the needs of existing and future community, especailly younger families and local people
To provide affordable market homes and smaller houses/flats suited to those wishing to downsize, to secure their first home, or to move into or continue to be able to live in the Parish due to local connections
To enable development that as far as possible does not harm Conservation Areas and other designated heritage assets and preserves valued views and green spaces
To require a high quality of design that is in keeping with, or improves, the scale and established character of the area surrounding development sites
to concentrate development within, or immediately adjacent to, existing settlement boundaries
To utilise suitable brownfield sites within the settlement boundary for redevelopment
To provide appropriate levels of parking within new developments to ensure on road parking is minimised

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* 3. Transport aim:
To ensure that future growth mitigates for the increased traffic and vehicle usage by making provision for this within development design

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* 4. Transport objectives

  Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree
To ensure sufficient ingress and egress to and from any new developments to minimise detrimental effects on increases to vehicle usage
To improve local transport links and public right of way routes within the Parish and to adjacent parishes, including green lanes, to provide for safer travel and healthier lifestles
To improve the traffic management within the Town Centre

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* 5. Town Centre and Economy aim:
To support the local economy though its exisiting businesses and to encourage expansion of local employment within settlements

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* 6. Town Centre and Economy Objectives

  Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree
Provide for and enhance existing facilities and support initiatives to attract visitors and tourists to the town, in particular the built heritage of the town
Existing employment land should be retained and new employment opportunities encouraged within the town to support the growing population
Protect existing employment premises from change of use or redevelopment where the existing businesses are of demondtrable benefit to the community

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* 7. Health, Recreation and Community aim

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* 8. Health, Recreation and Community Objectives

  Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree
Ensure the provision of appropriate and adequate health services to meet the needs of a growing population
Existing parks, play areas, playing fields and open spaces should be retained and additional open space areas provided

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* 9. Is there anything missing from our Aims and Objectives that you believe the Neighbourhood Plan should address?

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* 10. What is your age?

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* 11. In what postcode is your home located? *this will be used to identify any issues in particular areas, not to identify respondents

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