St. Agnes Parish Council has agreed to prepare a Neighbourhood Priorities Statement for the parish.
A Neighbourhood Priorities Statement, or NPS, is a way for local communities to tell Cornwall Council what matters most to them when planning for future growth, development, and infrastructure. This could include things such as housing, transport, public spaces, community facilities, local services, the natural environment, heritage, landscape, and the character of our villages.
An NPS is not the same as a Neighbourhood Development Plan. It does not create planning policies, and it cannot allocate land or stop land being allocated for development. However, it is an important opportunity to influence Cornwall Council’s new Local Plan by clearly setting out what the parish values, what local issues need to be addressed, and what infrastructure or improvements would be needed if future growth takes place.
Cornwall Council has said that published Neighbourhood Priorities Statements will be taken into account when preparing the new Local Plan, so this is a useful opportunity for local views to be heard early in the process.
Where are we now?
The Parish Council is right at the beginning of the process. A designation letter has now been sent to Cornwall Council asking for the whole of St Agnes Parish to be designated as the area covered by the NPS. The Council has also established a Working Group to support the preparation of the document.
Will this cost the Parish Council money?
There is expected to be no direct financial cost to the Parish Council. There is no requirement to instruct planning consultants, experts, or external advisers to prepare the NPS. Cornwall Council will support the process through templates, guidance, data, mapping support, draft review and advice. The main “cost” to the Parish Council will be the time given by councillors, volunteers and staff to gather information, review evidence, consult the community and prepare the statement.
How will the process work?
In simple terms, the process will be:
- Confirm the area
Cornwall Council will confirm the area to be covered by the NPS. For St. Agnes, the Parish Council has requested that this is the whole parish. - Set up the Working Group
The Working Group will meet, agree how it will work, and start planning the project. - Gather information and views
The Council will look at local evidence and ask residents, businesses, and community groups for their views on the parish’s future needs and priorities. - Identify local priorities
Feedback will be used to help identify the main issues, opportunities, and priorities for the parish. - Prepare a draft statement
A draft NPS will be prepared, setting out the parish’s longer-term priorities. - Consult on the draft
The community will have an opportunity to comment on the draft before it is finalised. - Submit the final statement
The final NPS will then be submitted to Cornwall Council and once published, will be used to help inform the emerging Local Plan.
How can the community get involved?
The Parish Council will provide updates through this newsletter as the work progresses.
Please look out for future information about:
- public surveys
- consultation events or drop-in sessions
- opportunities to comment on the parish’s priorities
- publication of the draft NPS
- details of how to submit feedback
The Council is not asking for detailed comments just yet, as the Working Group still needs to meet and plan the process. However, there will be opportunities in due course for residents, local businesses, and community organisations to share their views, ideas and concerns.
This will be an important chance to help shape how St. Agnes Parish is represented in Cornwall’s future planning work.