Effingham Residents Association (EFFRA) understand that Guildford Borough Council (GBC) has set the date for the Referendum on the Effingham Neighbourhood Plan for 22 February 2018. This implies that the final version of the Neighbourhood Plan will be published 28 days before then, i.e. by 25 January.
Guildford Borough Council are responsible for updating the Neighbourhood Plan in accordance with the Examiners recommendations, with input from Effingham Parish Council.
- Guildford Borough Council organises and pays for the referendum.
- An Information Statement and Specified Documents must be published not fewer than 28 days before the date on which the referendum will be held. The Specified Documents include the draft plan or order, the independent examiner’s report and various other papers.
- All voters appearing on the register of local government electors are eligible to vote. Voters must be 18 or over.
- A poll card must be sent to every eligible voter and proxy and those electors who have opted to vote by post or proxy in elections, are entitled to do so at the referendum
- The poll will be held at the local polling station i.e. King George V Hall
- The question to be asked at the referendum is set in legislation and is likely to be:
“Do you want Guildford Borough Council to use the neighbourhood plan for Effingham to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area.” - A referendum campaign may be conducted but expenses incurred during such a campaign are strictly limited
- The counting of the votes must take place as soon as practicable after the close of poll.
- The Count is conducted on a ‘First past the Post’ basis; no minimum turnout is required. On declaration of the result, and among other facts, the total number of votes cast for each answer is given.
- Guildford Borough Council must bring the Plan/Order into force if more than half of those voting have voted in favour of the order and it then will use the plan to help to decide planning applications in the Parish.
Full details of the Effingham Neighbourhood Plan and the procedures can be found on the GBC website here
What happens if the Secretary of State finds in favour of Berkeley Homes on Jan 11th? Wouldn’t that have the effect of rendering the NP null and void, thus making any referendum pointless? And if that’s the case, does the process of creating a NP start over? Genuine questions, not making any political point here.
No, I understand that it makes no difference to the Neighbourhood Plan which way the Inquiry decision goes. This was one reason why EFFRA was anxious that the village should not be planning for more homes than it actually needs in the next 15 years. This was accepted by the Examiner when he determined that the Plan would provide for a minimum of 52 new homes in that period and he specifically commented that the ” extent of housing proposed” (in the Berkeley Homes/Howard School planning application for Effingham Lodge Farm) is not required in the parish.”