A referendum relating to the adoption of the Carnforth Neighbourhood Plan will be held on this week.
The vote, on Thursday (January 26) will take place in the Carnforth and Crag Bank Electoral Wards, and voters will be asked the question: ‘Do you want Lancaster City Council to use the Neighbourhood Plan for Carnforth to help decide planning applications in the Neighbourhood Area?’
To vote in this referendum, residents of Carnforth and Crag Bank must be registered to vote and be 18 or over on the day of the poll.
The polling stations will be Carnforth Civic Hall, North Road, Carnforth LA5 9LJ and Crag Bank Village Hall, Jesson Way, Carnforth LA5 9EG. These will be open from 07:00 until 2200 on the day of the referendum with counting taking place on the same day after the polling stations have been closed.
A number of documents (referred to as ‘specified documents’ in the Regulations) have been produced in order to help with the voting process.
These specified documents can be viewed on Lancaster City Council’s website
Alternatively, a printed version of the specified documents are available to view at Lancaster City Council Offices at Morecambe Town Hall and Lancaster Town Hall, and Carnforth Library.
The Carnforth Neighbourhood Plan was independently examined between August and October 2022 and the Examiner recommended that, subject to some proposed modifications, the Plan should proceed to referendum.
A neighbourhood plan comes into force as part of the statutory development plan once it has been approved at referendum. Neighbourhood planning is a key component of the Government’s Localism Act. It devolves greater powers to councils and neighbourhoods, giving local people rights to shape the development of the communities in which they live by taking a more active role in the development of planning policy at a local level.
What is the Carnforth Neighbourhood Plan?
Neighbourhood plans give local people the choice to plan for their own area by developing policies that will guide and shape development for the future.
Preparation of the Carnforth Neighbourhood Plan was led by a Working Group, with support from Carnforth Town Council, local residents and Lancaster City Council.
If the plan is successful at Referendum, it will be adopted by Lancaster City Council. This will mean that when planning applications are submitted for sites within the Carnforth area, Planning Officers will assess the proposals against the Lancaster District Local Plan and the policies within the Carnforth Neighbourhood Plan to make a decision.
Determination of planning applications remains the responsibility of Lancaster City Council.
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