Residents vote 'yes' in Cuddington Neighbourhood Plan referendum

The question of the referendum was ‘Do you want Cheshire West and Chester Council to use the Neighbourhood Plan for the Cuddington area to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?’

There was a great turnout for voters as of the 4760 eligible to vote, 1,226 did, which equates to 25.8 per cent.

Of the 1,226 votes cast, 1174 voted ‘yes’ and 52 voted ‘no’.

The Chairman of the Steering Group, John Kerrigan, praised the efforts of the team that had worked on the plan.

He said: “It was a great result for all of us.

“The turnout was extremely good for the size of the community, I think when Northwich had its referendum the turnout was about 11 per cent.

“It is a great relief and a great achievement for the team.

“They did it with minimal resources as we received a small grant to hire a consultant to advise us on the layout of the document.

“The bulk of the work was done by a small team of volunteers.”

He also thanked the residents of Cuddington, Delamere Park and Sandiway for their support in the many consultations and at the ballot box.

The Neighbourhood Plan now has development planning weight in the consideration of all planning applications.

The Plan was put together by a Steering Group, made up of 11 volunteers, including two members of the Parish Council.

The Plan reflects the comments, observations and concerns raised by the residents of the Parish about its future.

Opinions were gathered in surveys, roadshows and consultations that have been carried out over the past three years. Evidence was also gathered during the development of a village plan published in July 2015.

The Chairman of Cuddington Parish Council said that the Neighbourhood Plan, once it is formally ‘made’, will be a vital resource in the examination of future development plans for the parish.

The plan can be viewed on the village website cuddingtonandsandiwayonline.org or on the Cheshire West and Chester website.