Mepal Neighbourhood Plan
The ECDC information page in relation to the passage of the plan can be read here:
Mepal Neighbourhood Planning Referendum ECDC webpage
Simple Explanation of the Plan
The Neighbourhood Plan for the Parish of Mepal was drawn up by Mepal Parish Council which is the designated body for the plan area and provided the funding and support to enable the plan to go ahead. It is a Community Led Plan and has been prepared by the Parish Council with professional support. It was informed by public participation and consultation on a Mepal Community Led Plan (CLP) that was undertaken between 2017 and 2020. The formal Neighbourhood Plan preparation process involved two statutory periods of public consultation as prescribed and seeks to protect and enhance the natural and built environment of Mepal and help protect and improve our lovely village.
The Neighbourhood Plan sets down a series of planning policies to form part of East Cambridgeshire’s wider statutory development plan, if approved. It is a planning document about the use and development of land, giving communities more control over the future of their area by giving local people the chance to have their say on what happens where they live. Every Neighbourhood Plan needs to consider the need for a Sustainability Appraisal and the Parish Council considers that there will be no significant environmental effects arising from the Neighbourhood Plan.
The Neighbourhood Plan includes two themed sections: Sustainable Development and Natural & Built Environment. These are issues that were identified as important to the community from the older Community led plan. Within each section of the NHP, policies are included to guide the development and use of land.
The Mepal Neighbourhood Plan attains the same legal status as the East Cambridgeshire Local Plan once it has been approved at a referendum. At that point, it comes into force as part of the statutory development plan. Applications for planning permission must be determined in accordance with the development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise.
The following vision has been developed for the Neighbourhood Plan: To provide a planning framework and policies that will facilitate sustainable growth whilst protecting the distinctive character and identity of Mepal as a small, rural village on the fen.
The plan aims to promote sustainable development by ensuring that new development is of high-quality design, is built to a high environmentally sustainability standard and contributes positively to the existing built form of Mepal. It should contribute towards climate change mitigation and conserve and enhance the natural environment of Mepal
New developments should conserve and enhance the environment of the village and the wider parish countryside including protecting the Old and New Bedford River corridor; local green spaces; improved landscaping; access to open spaces; green corridors; biodiversity enhancement; and the encouragement of green or blue infrastructure and initiatives. The plan aims to protect and preserve important community assets including its local services and facilities by encouraging the retention and growth of community facilities. The plan aims to enhance the character and appearance of the village including enhancing the historic character arising from the heritage assets present and their settings, ensuring that new development respects or enhances the distinctive character and appearance of the area in which it is sited.
Local distinctiveness includes many facets which make Mepal what it is. That includes how buildings look, how the open spaces operate, important views and vistas, how the public realm looks and the relationship between the village and the Ouse Washes. There are a number of public views and vistas around the village and the wider Parish that contribute to the sense of place and are worthy of protection in the proposed plan.
https://www.eastcambs.gov.uk/local-development-framework/mepal-neighbourhood-plan
History of the Neighbourhood Plan process
Over the past two years, Mepal Parish Council has been preparing a Neighbourhood Plan for its area. Details on those earlier stages can be found in the text and documents below.
Following the efforts of the Mepal Community Led Plan (CLP) in February 2019, the Parish Council has continued to receive requests from Parishioners particularly in regards to how the Parish Council can better preserve the village character and limit inappropriate large housing developments, after the successful opposition to the Brick Lane development of 55 houses. The Parish Council therefore applied for grant funding and engaged a consultant to work with the community to use the published Community-Led Plan as a foundation for a Neighbourhood Plan. A number of articles have been published in the Mepal Matters newsletter over the last two years asking for input and involvement from the community, as well as items on the agenda of Parish Council meetings. The Neighbourhood Plan sits alongside the Local Plan and has weight in determining planning applications in the local area. It is a statutory document.
Neighbourhood Plans are a powerful tool to shape our local area, as Neighbourhood Plan policies take precedence over non-strategic Local Plan policies in decision-making. In other words, the Neighbourhood Plan “trumps” the Local Plan (on certain matters).
After initial feedback was gathered, a Questionnaire was issued in the September/October 2022 issue of the Mepal Matters Newsletter. The survey results were then reported in the November/December Mepal Matters Newsletter and the Consultant engaged produced a first draft plan based on the CLP and all feedback and information received. This was discussed in a separate Neighbourhood Plan group held before the Parish Council on 13th December 2022.
The Parish Council passed a resolution in the February Council meeting to put the draft plan out to consultation, along with the supporting documents. The consultation material will advise:
- What the Neighbourhood Plan is about
- Where the NP can be viewed (online and physical)
- How long the consultation period is and how to make comments
- Details of any ‘Drop-in Sessions’ or other events for consultation or to find out more
- What happens after your comments are received (comments made will become public although personal data will not be made available and the information given will only be used by Mepal Parish Council and East Cambridgeshire District Council for purposes connected with the preparation of the Neighbourhood Plan including future consultation stages.
All documents and information in regards to the Mepal Neighbourhood plan are available here and any questions can be emailed to
Draft Neighbourhood Plan & Supporting Documents
Mepal Neighbourhood Plan (Regulation 14)
Mepal NDP SEA Screening Request (Regulation 14)
Mepal NDP Basic Conditions Statement (Regulation 14)
Mepal NDP Consultation Statement (Regulation 14)
Mepal NDP Designated Area and Explanatory Statement (Regulation 14)
Mepal NDP HRA Screening Request (Regulation 14)
Mepal NDP Local Green Spaces Evidence (Regulation 14)
Mepal Settlement Boundary Methodology (Regulation 14)
On 13 October 2023, Mepal Parish Council formally submitted its Neighbourhood Plan to East Cambridgeshire District Council for independent examination, which includes a final round of public consultation.
The submitted Mepal Neighbourhood Plan and accompanying submission documents are available to download from the Submission Documents library on the ECDC website. A copy of the draft Plan is available for inspection at East Cambridgeshire District Council’s customer service centre during normal opening times.
The full set of representations received during the consultation stage are now available in the Mepal Neighbourhood Plan Regulation 16 Representations Received Report.
Examination Stage
An independent Examiner was appointed in January 2024 to examine the Plan and to recommend whether the Plan should proceed to a referendum. The Examiner was Andrew Ashcroft MRTPI. The Examiner concluded his examination on 5 March 2024 and issued his Report setting out his conclusions. All of the documents associated with the examination stage are posted in the Examinations Document table towards the end of this webpage. The Examiner recommended that the Neighbourhood Plan should proceed to a local referendum in Mepal.
Referendum and Conclusion
Mepal Parish Council and East Cambridgeshire District Council agreed that the plan should proceed to a referendum on 22 March 2024 and a Decision Notice (PDF) to that effect was published. A referendum took place on 13th June and the electorate voted to accept the plan.