A MAJORITY vote saw a development plan for the Bere Peninsula accepted by its residents — the first neighbourhood plan in West Devon to reach the public referendum stage.

Last week a parish vote took place on the Bere Peninsula Neighbourhood Plan — a blueprint to shape the development and growth of the local area — which saw an 81% vote in favour of the document.

The Bere Peninsula Neighbourhood Plan has been under development for more than five years by a committee of residents working with the Bere Ferrers Parish Council. It gave the community direct power to develop a shared vision for their neighbourhood, to say where in the parish development could take place, what it should look like and what parts of the parish should be protected.

The referendum took place last Thursday, with parishioners asked ‘Do you want West Devon Borough Council to use the neighbourhood plan for the Bere Peninsula to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?’. There were 669 votes cast in favour of ‘yes’ and 147 cast in favour of ‘no’.

On behalf of the Bere Ferrers Parish Council’s neighbourhood plan working group, co-ordinator Ralph Maycock said: ‘The 81 percent vote at last Thursday’s referendum by the community in favour of the plan was a great result. That number, along with the no vote of 18 percent, shows that a third of the peninsula’s people engaged with the process and that they endorsed the provisions within the plan that limits and controls new houses being built.’

Mr Maycock expressed thanks to the neighbourhood plan group for its five years of hard work. He also gave special thanks to Granville Starkie for his tireless work in co-ordinating all of the many documents.

The team expressed its thanks and remembrance to the late Mike Benson, who ably led the process over most of the period.

Mr Maycock added: ‘The whole community can be confident that the plan will ensure no excessive intrusion within the parish.’

West Devon Borough Council said that the Bere Peninsula Neighbourhood Plan was the first neighbourhood plan to reach the referendum stage in West Devon. The council said a neighbourhood plan, once it had been through the referendum stage, becomes part of planning policy for the area and is part of the statutory development plan. Any application for any development in the area covered by the Bere Peninsula Plan must now be determined by WDBC officers in line with that plan.

Cllr Caroline Mott, lead member for strategic planning and housing at West Devon Borough Council, said: ‘We’re thrilled that the Bere Peninsula Neighbourhood Plan has been through the referendum and will now have full weight. Neighbourhood plans have the same weight in deciding planning applications as a local plan, so from now on, our planning officers at West Devon Borough Council must decide planning applications in this area using the policies outlined in this plan.

‘We hope that the success of the Bere Peninsula Development Plan will encourage other neighbourhood groups to develop their own plans and we’re looking forward to seeing the other neighbourhood plans that are currently in progress reach the same stage.’