South Somerset District Council is updating its local plan, the document which provides the framework deciding on future development in Bruton and the rest of the District, and on August 15th you’ll get the chance to have your say when a public drop-in session will be held in the Community Hall between 4pm and 7pm. With so many planned housing developments in the town this is a perfect opportunity to make your view know the SSDC, who are the planning authority for Bruton.
Local Plans set out a vision and framework for the future development of the area, addressing needs and opportunities in relation to where homes could be built, how the economy can grow, where community facilities could be created and vital infrastructure. It also includes the steps which will safeguard the environment, help the district adapt to climate change and ensure there is good design.
You can now submit your views during a consultation period called the Preferred Options stage. This means that based on the evidence they have to date, the Council has initially mapped how it thinks the future of the district could look. This is the second formal stage of consultation as part of the South Somerset Local Plan Review and follows an evidence-gathering consultation which took place during late 2017 and early 2018.
Preparing a new plan is wide ranging and will involve not just the Council itself, but also many other organisations and individuals. This consultation provides an opportunity for you to get involved, give your views and comments, and shape the Local Plan.
Councillor Val Keitch, Leader of South Somerset District Council, said: “This consultation is a genuine exercise to take account of the views and opinions of residents and businesses alike. Shaping the future of the area – the countryside, the economy and our towns and villages – is important. Everyone should have a chance to contribute to the document to help focus on the issues that are most important to the communities in our District. Whilst the consultation document is based upon evidence, testing it against local knowledge and “live” economic factors will make it stronger and more relevant as a result of resident and business input.”
How can you have your say?
The current consultation period will be from 12 noon on Friday 28 June to 5pm on Wednesday 18 September 2019.
A document has been produced to help you understand what the Council is consulting on and can be viewed on the SSDC website, in the District Council offices in Yeovil or in libraries across the district. Information on our website also covers common questions and allows you to submit your comments electronically. We would ask that comments are submitted electronically wherever possible.
It is vital that as many individuals and businesses as possible respond to this consultation and your comments will be taken into account in evolving the next stage of the Local Plan review.
There will be a series of public drop-in sessions where the consultation document can be viewed and where Council officers will be on hand to help explain how we have got to this stage and answer any queries.
You can also have your say online using our interactive consultation website where you can sign up for an account to leave your comments directly on the document. Using the consultation website allows you to make comments at the end of each paragraph, by simply submitting your comment into the comments tab.
Alternatively, you can submit your feedback via email to strategy@southsomerset.gov.uk or post it to: Strategy and Commissioning, The Council Offices, Brympton Way, Yeovil, Somerset, BA20 2HT.
Comments can be submitted until 5pm on Wednesday 18 September 2019. After this, the relevant and main issues raised will be extracted and collated to be presented to committee when we are ready to progress to the next stage of the plan process. Further consultation will take place in 2020/21.
