The regulation 16 consultation phase of the Neighbourhood Plan, undertaken by Melton Borough Council, is now complete. The next stage is a formal independent examination of the neighbourhood plan.

The Parish Council has informed Melton Borough Council that it would like to move to the examination phase and we are awaiting details of prospective examiners. We hope to receive this information in the first week of March.

Neighbourhood Development Plan stages

• Informal discussions
• Designated
• Ongoing reg.14 consultation
• Reg. 14 consultation completed
• Ongoing reg.16 consultation
• Reg. 16 consultation completed
• Examination
• Awaiting referendum
• Successful referendum
• Made Neighbourhood Plan (Made NDP)
• NDP review

Regulations linked to the Coronavirus Act 2020 mean that no elections or referendums can take place until 6 May 2021. This includes neighbourhood planning referendums. These provisions will be kept under review and may be amended or revoked in response to changing circumstances. With this in mind, Melton Borough Council has updated current planning guidance to set out that neighbourhood plans awaiting referendums can be given significant weight in decision-making.

For more details on the Bottesford Plan please visit ;