Parish Council ensures community voice is to be heard at the highest level

Chair of the Saddleworth Parish Council’s Strategic Planning Committee, Barbara Beeley

Saddleworth Parish Council’s first phase of consultation on its Neighbourhood Plan has been completed.

The Council is taking up residents’ concerns with the Home Office and the Communities Minister, as well the Greater Manchester Combined Authorities and Oldham Borough Council.

While the consultation was aimed at getting community feedback to inform the Neighbourhood Plan, a considerable number of responses raised concerns that need to inform political decisions at other levels.

Of 225 responses on community safety, nearly 60% wanted increased police presence – more officers, PCSOs, or just more visible presence in the villages.

Chair of the Parish’s Strategic Planning Committee, Barbara Beeley, said: “While the Parish Council can push the case for more policing, the decisions on funding and police numbers are made by the Home Office and by the Greater Manchester Mayor.

"Obviously, such a strong response needs to be communicated to the people making those decisions, and we shall make those representations on behalf of local residents.”

The Parish Council will also be taking up responses on the need for cycle routes and parking, which the GMCA and Oldham Borough Council are working on, and the continued need to protect not just green belt, but other protected land across the area.

With Oldham Borough Council’s Local Plan currently under development, the Parish Council will ensure that people’s responses on these Issues are put forward as part of the consultation process.

Councillor Beeley continued: “These responses also formed part of the Parish Council’s response to the Government’s White Paper on changes to the planning system.

"The Parish Council organised a series of extra meetings specifically to ensure that the most comprehensive response possible on the Government’s “Planning for the Future” white paper could be given.

"This proposes to simplify the protections on land to a general term of “protected”.

"There is no suggestion that current protected land such as OPOL (other protected open land) would even exist or be covered under the new system.”

The Strategic Planning Committee is now also using the responses from the first survey to expand on its original skeleton plan, and once an expanded draft is in place, will embark on a second round of public consultation.

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