Retford Town Centre neighbourhood plan

Overview

Retford Town Centre Neighbourhood Area was designated by Bassetlaw District Council on 4 March 2021, alongside the designation of Retford Town Centre Neighbourhood Planning Group as the associated Neighbourhood Forum for the area. The Neighbourhood Area has been designated as a business area, in recognition of the proportion of business interests.

A modification to the Neighbourhood Area, extending the boundary to incorporate the full extent of Bridgegate and environs, was approved by Bassetlaw District Council on 23 September 2021. Work to develop the Neighbourhood Plan is now underway.

Stage	Date
Neighbourhood Area Designated / Neighbourhood Forum Designated	4 March 2021 (Area Modified 23 September 2021)
Pre-Submission Draft Plan Published
Draft Plan Submitted
Examiner's Report Approved
Referendum

Potential Development Sites and Local Green Spaces Consultation (February 2023)

Overview

From Monday 6 February until Sunday 26 February 2023, interested parties are invited to view and comment on a number of potential development sites and Local Green Spaces (LGS) being considered for inclusion in the emerging Retford Town Centre Neighbourhood Plan. The consultation aims to:

Inform which sites are under consideration;
Share the findings of assessment work undertaken to date;
Provide an opportunity for discussion;
Capture any observations or comments that could help to inform next steps.

All of the consultation documents, including maps, assessment reports, and the response form are available to view from the Supporting Documents section below. The documents will also be available for inspection at three public events, with opportunities for discussion with members of the Retford Town Centre Neighbourhood Planning Group and the District Council's Neighbourhood Planning Team. The details of the events are as follows:

Council Chamber, Retford Town Hall, The Square, Retford, DN22 6DB

Thursday 9 February, between 4 pm and 7 pm.
Saturday 18 February, between 9 am and 1 pm.
Wednesday 22 February, between 10 am and 2 pm.

Background: potential development sites

Following a ‘call for sites’, six potential development sites were submitted for consideration as part of the emerging Retford Town Centre Neighbourhood Plan. All sites have then been the subject of the following process:

The sites were mapped, clarifying their boundaries and any known planning constraints.
The sites were then the subject of a more detailed technical assessment by consultants AECOM to assess their development potential. This includes a helpful ‘traffic light’ indicator per site (red for ‘not suitable’, amber for ‘potentially suitable’, and green for ‘suitable’).
Alongside, comments were sought from Bassetlaw District Council’s Planning Policy and Conservation Teams, and Nottinghamshire County Council’s Highways Team.

All of the above information is included as part of this consultation for your consideration (see the Supporting Documents section below).

Background: potential Local Green Spaces (LGS)

Local Green Space (LGS) is a formal designation that can be applied through a neighbourhood plan, providing increased levels of protection for green spaces which are "demonstrably special to the local community and hold a particular local significance".

Six sites in the Retford Town Centre Neighbourhood Area have been identified as potential LGS, and are included in the consultation for your consideration (see the Supporting Documents section below). The sites have been mapped, but have not yet been the subject of assessment or justification, which will follow after the consultation, pending any new sites being added or any of the proposed sites being discounted.

How to contribute

Please provide any comments or questions on the assembled sites and assessment information using the Consultation Response Form provided. Response forms can be completed digitally or by-hand; hard copies will be available at the three consultation events.

Please return digitally completed response forms via email to:

neighbourhoodplanning@bassetlaw.gov.uk

Forms completed by hand can be returned at one of the three consultation events, or at the reception desk at:

Bassetlaw District Council (One Stop Shop), 17b The Square, Retford, DN22 6DB. Monday to Friday, between 0900 and 1700

Next steps

On conclusion of the consultation, any comments received will be assembled alongside the views of the technical consultees in order to assist the Retford Town Centre Planning Group to consider if and how the sites should feature in the Neighbourhood Plan. There will be further opportunities to comment on any sites featured in the Neighbourhood Plan before it is finalised, notably when the Pre-Submission Draft Neighbourhood Plan is published in the next few months.

Supporting Documents

The documents below are grouped according to their stage in the development process, with the most recent stage listed first.

Some documents within our Neighbourhood Plan pages are produced externally. These may not be suitable for users of assistive technology. Request an accessible format.

Potential Development Sites and Local Green Spaces Consultation (February 2023)