This is an objection to footnote 5 to Figure 12 (MOD 12.5) and the proposal in MOD 12.6 to prevent a village counting housing developments of fewer than 6 dwellings in the amount of development prescribed to be met in Figure 12 settlement allocations.

This modification, which is wholly unjustified in policy terms, also conflicts with national policy on neighbourhood planning and localism. It is a fundamental principle in national policy that any neighbourhood can plan the nature of the development which takes place within its community provided the amount of development is consistent with the Local Plan Strategy (paragraphs 184 and 185). For a village, the amount should be reflective of its local needs. Once that amount has been evaluated, the village (like any other community) is free to determine how that amount is to be developed. The Council cannot prevent any neighbourhood, including a village, using developments of fewer than 6 dwellings to achieve the amount of development within its community in a Neighbourhood Plan. Therefore the objective of this modification is to bring a planning function properly within the remit of neighbourhoods within the control of the Council and this is unsound.

This substantially alters the meaning of Figure 12 and it is not transparent. It is clear the purpose of the footnote and text modification is to maximise use of the villages to achieve the modified district-wide 5700 housing unit figure.

Further, the type of development most characteristic of the pattern of development in villages consists of developments of fewer than 6 dwellings. To seek to prevent villages continuing to evolve in this manner further conflicts with the Council's unmodified strategic policy for the villages and is therefore unsound.