Parishioners will be aware that your Parish Council (PC) has been campaigning for changes to the WNC (West Northants Council) Local Plan to amend the status of the village to Secondary from Primary (Policy R1 in the Plan) and to reduce the number of allocated homes (Policy R6) following the direction received at the public meeting held last year (including agreeing to appoint advisers). While the WNC controlling party (Reform) resolved to delay the Local Plan to revise the R6 Policy, Government directed them to continue with the previous draft and to submit the Local Plan by the end of the year.
Consequently, WNC issued a Regulation 19 Local Plan consultation to end on 16 November 2026. This version still has Woodford-cum-Membris as a Primary Village with a minimum additional162 new dwellings allocated to the Parish.
The PC has been working with both the Ward Councillors and its advisers (Richard Buxton Solicitors & John Russell Transport Consultancy) to demonstrate the Local Plan is neither justified, effective or consistent with national policy. It resolved to authorise the submission of the advisers’ arguments before the Regulation 19 deadline.
The Local Plan & its consultation comments (including ours) will be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate (PI) for review in 2027. There may be an opportunity for the PC to present to the PI but there is likely to be a cost to this activity.
At the meeting on the 10 November, the PC also heard from the WNC Community Development & Inclusion Officer regarding working with all voluntary organisations in the Parish; the Police who reported crime in September & October; several minor planning applications that were supported; the annual Library report; external auditor who gave the Council a “clean bill of financial health” and a report on income/expenditure in the first 6 months of the year. Plans were developed to make use of the derelict building behind the café in the Village Centre.
The PC also thanked it’s Councillor for organising the Remembrance Day Parade and a volunteer who is reviving the WOW (What’s On in Woodford) for online publication with a few paper copies distributed in some village premises (e.g. Library, Café; Chemist).
