Less than a quarter of people living in the town voted, but the Beccles Neighbourhood Plan has been given the go ahead.
Less than a quarter of people living in the town voted, but the Beccles Neighbourhood Plan has been given the go ahead.
The Town Council says of those that voted 75% were in favour, after a referendum last week.
It means means planning applications from housebuilders have to follow certain Town rules - but also means the council will get more of a percentage of fee, to spend on local areas in Beccles.
Beccles Town Council said it was 'delighted' that the residents of Beccles voted in favour of the town's Neighbourhood Plan in the referendum held on 16 th September. The Council said, "This means that the Plan will now come into effect, and that it will therefore be taken into account when any planning applications in Beccles are considered by East Suffolk Council or the Broads Authority. In addition, the amount of CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy, money that must be paid by housebuilders to support local communities) that goes to Beccles Town Council to fund local projects will now increase from 15% to 25%. This will enable the Town Council to set aside increased amounts of money to support infrastructure improvements in the town."
Mayor of Beccles, Councillor Richard Stubbings, said “I would like to take the opportunity to thank the people who gave up their time to draw up this plan and all the people who voted, as it demonstrates your commitment to Beccles. We are actively planning a number of improvement projects at the Quay at the moment, and we hope that the approval of the Plan will give us more scope to fund further projects around the town over the next few years”.
Meanwhile, the Town Council would like to thank all the members, past and present, of the Neighbourhood Plan Operational Group, who have worked hard over the last five years to put the Plan together.
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