A big year for the Littleborough Neighbourhood Plan

Clive Jones, Chairman, Littleborough Neighbourhood Forum

An independent report and analysis of Littleborough Neighbourhood Forum's questionnaire ‘Your Littleborough, Your Views’, prepared as part of the Forum’s initial public consultation to find out what residents, businesses and organisations thought about how Littleborough should develop in the future, and how it could be improved, has been published.

The questionnaire received an excellent response with 350 responses to 22 questions on a wide range of matters including housing, transport, business, conservation and design, tourism.

The report identifies key issues which the Littleborough Neighbourhood Plan could focus on. It also identifies what further work may be needed to support the plan and to develop the policies.

The plan, which is expected will take two years to complete, is intended to enable the Littleborough community to guide and control development and investment in their area over the next 10-15 years.

Clive Jones, Chairman Littleborough Neighbourhood Forum, said: “The report helps us to make sense of the community’s aspiration for Littleborough, what the majority want to see happen and where views are divided. Most importantly, it helps us focus on what we now need to do to make progress on the plan and to build on the community’s enthusiasm to shape our own future.”

Two of the key messages in the report are the need to identify tourism projects that promote and protect the town’s assets and to explore policies to encourage better design and heritage conservation.

Other key matters which will need to be addressed are the issues of housing need in Littleborough, car parking and public transport improvements, and what key sites should be developed or protected from development.

The need for the plan to address flood risk is also stressed in the report. Recent flooding events in Littleborough will focus the discussion on ensuring the level of new development does not increase flood risk further and that new projects are discussed with the Council and the Environment Agency to reduce the risk.

Work will now commence on on collecting evidence to support policies and proposals and discussions with Rochdale Borough Council, relevant agencies and organisations.

The forum is appealing for volunteers to help. Mr Jones said: "Professionals involved in, or with an interest in, environmental matters development and construction, tourism and recreation, transport and communications media would be most welcome."

Further public consultation is planned for early summer to look at alternative options for tackling the key planning issues and to agree policies to be drawn up.

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