Neighbourhood plans for Clipston, Hackleton and Overstone to be adopted with overwhelming support

Residents have shown near-unanimous support for neighbourhood plans in Clipston, Hackleton and Overstone that will affect everything from future developments to the amount of green spaces.

The votes were held December 2 and saw overwhelming support for each plan, with Clipston reaching 86 percent approval, Hackleton a whopping 91 percent and Overstone 87 percent.

West Northamptonshire Council will now have to consult these plans whenever decisions on these areas are weighed in future.

Councillor Rebecca Breese - Cabinet Member for Planning, the Built Environment and Rural Affairs, said: "Neighbourhood plans play an extremely important role in recognising the characteristics of neighbourhoods and reflecting important local issues.

"This is a fantastic demonstration of people taking a proactive role in planning their neighbourhoods in a sustainable way.

"These new plans will now form part of the planning process for any applications we receive for each of the three villages and will help shape future development in those areas."

While the plans differ from each other slightly, they each highlight similar concerns for the rural communities.

In particular, councils will have to avoid the 'urbanisation' of the areas and building too many new houses.

This got special reference in North West Hackleton, where expansions from Wootton Fields East and Hardingstone are said to threaten the 'distinct identity and physical separation from other settlements' the town enjoys.

The plans also highlighted a need for investment into infrastructure and public transport, providing community activities and cohesion and maintaining or expanding local footpaths.

Local business was also a consistent concern, with a fear the villages could become 'entirely residential' if those service-providers are not encouraged to stay.

With one eye on the future, each plan aims to met their goals by 2029, in keeping with the Daventry Local Plan which was introduced in 2011 and also ends that year.

They describe near-futuristic villages with strong community cohesion and vastly improved transport and facilities.

All this while still retaining the rural character and 'green space' that defines the humble towns.

Anyone who is interested can find the plans and accompanying documents on the website.