Important update - referendum scheduled for 13 June 2024

Please note that the date for the referendum on the Mepal Neighbourhood Plan has been officially set as being 13 June 2024. For full details of the referendum, please see the Mepal Neighbourhood Planning Referendum webpage

For full details on the Plan and its background, please continue reading below.

Background

Over the past two years, Mepal Parish Council has been preparing a Neighbourhood Plan for its area. For details on those earlier stages, please view the Mepal Parish Council website (external link).

On 13 October 2023, Mepal Parish Council formally submitted its Neighbourhood Plan to East Cambridgeshire District Council for independent examination, which included a final round of public consultation.

East Cambridgeshire District Council invited comments on the submitted Mepal Neighbourhood Plan from Thursday 2 November 2023 to Friday 15 December 2023. The consultation period has now closed. The full set of representations received during the consultation stage are now available in the Mepal Neighbourhood Plan Regulation 16 Representations Received Report (PDF).

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 Examination Documents table towards the end of this webpage.

In short, the Examiner recommends that the Neighbourhood Plan should proceed to a local referendum in Mepal.

Next step - Referendum

Mepal Parish Council and East Cambridgeshire District Council have carefully considered the Examiner's report, to determine whether it is agreed that the plan should proceed to a referendum. It was agreed on 22 March 2024 that it should proceed to a referendum, and a Decision Notice (PDF) to that effect has now been published.

A referendum has been set up to take place on 13 June 2024. Further details are available at the Mepal Neighbourhood Planning Referendum webpage. 

An updated version of the Plan, which incorporates all of the Examiner's recommendations, is now available and is entitled Mepal Neighbourhood Plan Referendum Version (PDF). It is this version of the Plan which residents will be asked to vote upon.

Other information

Requests to be notified of ECDC’s decision under regulation 19 of the Neighbourhood Planning Regulations 2012, which relates to the making of the neighbourhood plan after the examination has concluded, may be submitted via email to planningpolicy@eastcambs.gov.uk.

East Cambridgeshire District Council will process the information you provide in a manner that is compatible with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the Council’s Privacy Notice.