The reinstatement of Okehampton’s Neighbourhood Plan will be on hold until the fate of West Devon Borough Council under the Government’s devolution plans is confirmed.
A neighbourhood plan is a local blueprint for a town which outlines a community’s vision for an area.
After eight years in the making, Okehampton’s Neighbourhood Plan failed due to lack of consultation in 2024 so questions of its reinstatement has been up in the air.
Cllr Tony Leech, borough councillor and town councillor for Okehampton North, said: “Over the next few months we will push locally for the neighbourhood planning to get started as soon as possible but we don’t want to waste lots of time and money on plans that may go against future national planning policies.
“It’s not recommended for those thinking of doing a neighbourhood plan to start them until West Devon Borough Council’s position is finalised.”
Okehampton Town Council members previously expressed their disappointment over the years of hard work that went towards the neighbourhood plan that was then ruled “not fit for purpose” by an independent examiner last summer, after an independent examiner said the key members of the community had not been adequately consulted.
With the Government also proposing to overhaul planning policy with a view to building more houses to address the acute shortage of affordable housing, all parishes with or without a Neighbourhood Plan are waiting to see what that means for them .
Additionally, local government reorganisation is looming after Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner proposed changes which may mean that West Devon Borough Council will be disbanded.
The Government is looking to abolish the two-tier system of district and county councils which exists in most of Devon in favour of unitary councils covering larger geographic areas, possibly overseen by a mayor at the head of a strategic authority of Devon and Cornwall.
With just 57,000 residents, West Devon would have to join with several other councils to be of a population size set by the Government for a new unitary authority.