Neighbourhood Plan Steering Committee – 15th September 2025

Longstone Area Neighbourhood Plan – Steering Committee

Minutes of Meeting 6

15^th September  2025, Village Hall, Great Longstone

Attendance

Apologies received from

1. Apologies for absence. Apologies received as above.
2. Minutes of Previous Meeting. Issued late so no chance to approve
3. Actions from previous meeting. Updated as per table at the end of the minutes
4. Declaration of area for NP and application to PDNPA
   Application approved by PDNPA – item closed.
5. Communication and Engagement Strategy

   Village Meeting to be held 19:00 hrs on Tuesday 7^th October, village hall booked.

   Structure of Session (for further comments)

   • Introduction and overview slides without detail, highlight Bradwell successes (AD) 15 mins
   • Audience split into six groups (colour or number tags to issue as people come into venue)
   • Six Workstream presentations by workstream leads on the major / controversial topics within their workstreams. 10 mins each session then rotate round to the next workstream lead. (does anyone have a whistle for timekeeping?) 70 mins total
   • Summary Slides, briefly cover off future communications (email lists), surveys, meetings and joining groups of interest, next steps (AD to lead) 15 mins

Notes or aides to the session

• Workgroup presentations to be pulled together by the teams and circulated for comments during week commencing 29^th
• Copies of the SWOT to have around the room for comments and information (A3 Copies from Mad4Ink – AD)
  • Copies of maps to accompany the presentations and make clear the areas of the plan (Workstream groups)
  • Some refreshments to provide

Invitations to the session

• Flyer to prepare – AD to circulate draft ASAP. Require logo (Alexa), number of houses (Simon) and any comments back ASAP.
• Print at Mad4Ink, AD to take in this week and Jonathan to collect when ready for distribution weekending of 27^th
• Notices to post around the village on telegraph poles as previously done.
• UTE piece to prepare and submit – AD

Objectives of the session – to inform and engage parishioners in the NP process, and to come out of the meeting with volunteers to work alongside the various workgroups and in focus groups that intertest them.

Discussion on developing a community engagement calendar, maybe running an open meeting every month with two workstreams presenting at each meeting?

There is also a need to develop a communication protocol where the workgroup issues can be shared – maybe through a Facebook (or similar platform) / survey monkey type approach? Also consider UTE / Flyers / School. Discuss with Andy Nash (Bradwell) and Ellie Faulder (PDNPA) about the most effective strategies – (AD)
Meeting with Ellie Faulder on 17^th Sept at 3pm in PDNPA and she will be attending the public meeting on 7^th October.

6. NP Workstream Areas – Some workgroup areas reviewed and started to flesh out the content. At some point will need to establish which elements fall into the Neighbourhood Plan and others to be picked up in a “Area Village Plan”.

   1 Housing – Members – Frank & Deborah

• Setting up a Community Land Trust (CLT) looks relatively straight forward, new member joining cost £90 then £325 to incorporate the new CLT. Annual membership then varies from £180 dependant on the financial activity of the CLT.
• Link – https://www.communitylandtrusts.org.uk/membership/member-services/
• https://www.communitylandtrusts.org.uk/membership/
• The housing needs survey will be undertaken by DDDC in November 2025. This will involve a leaflet/survey drop in the area (Little Longstone and Great Longstone) by the people leading the survey and a requirement to analyse the returns. Expected results back in January.
  The people leading the survey would like a daytime meeting with the Parish Council / Meeting of GL and LL, and the Neighbourhood Planning Steering Committee representatives – Simon to arrange.

6.2 Conservation & Environment – Members – Jonathan, Sam, Jeremy & Andy

• Overlap with Farming several issues, needs a review and possibly re-allocation of issues. Potentially re-name workstream Energy and Renewables, and Conservation and Land Management? Meeting to set up to discuss (SB/JK)
• Jonathan completed a fair amount of mapping work using Parish OnLine.
• Option to work with Marches Energy Agency, https://mea.org.uk/ on helping to identify energy related issues within the homes. (AD to progress)

6.3 Farming – Members – Sara & Alexa

• Support for farming & its outcomes
• Comments as above with respect to group content and name

6.4 Business & Tourism – Members – Terry, Richard, Jeremy & Sam,

• No further updates

6.5 Creating Community – Members – Simon, Alexa & Deborah

• Started the Village Calendar discussion on Facebook , but only one response
• Use public a meeting in October to start the discussion & recruitment into the workstreams

6.6  Transport – Members – Georgina & Terry

• Public transport that meets the needs of the community
• Improving our infrastructure to improve mobility, accessibility and safety

7. Thornhill Development
   
   Information shared regarding the Thornhill development and the potential for the redevelopment of the old site. This scheme is still in the pre-planning stage, and no applications have been made to PDNPA. Any re-development of the old site may be of interest to us in relation to housing needs. This would support the formation of a Community Land Trust
8. Grant Application
   Community Grant of £750 from PDNPA might be available to the NP. Application submitted.
9. AOB

Small Communities Grant application to forward to Sara Barrett (AD)

10. Next Meeting. – Monday 13^th October, 19:00 Hrs in Great Longstone Village Hall
11. Action Summary