Village and Civil Parish of Heslington, near York, England

Heslington

Neighbourhood Plan

Heslington Parish Neighbourhood Plan

CONSULTATION PERIOD CLOSED 5pm Sunday 7th June 2026.

What is a Neighbourhood Plan?

Neighbourhood Plans are a powerful new way for local people to shape the future planning of their area. A Neighbourhood Plan gives us the opportunity to create a shared and sustainable vision of how we'd like our Parish to be; to ensure that new developments or changes fit in, contribute to the well-being of the Parish and conserve the parish character and sense of belonging that we so value.

A Neighbourhood Plan establishes general planning policies that have to be considered by local authorities when determining planning proposals. It will help us to manage pressures for change positively, for the good of the community.

It's about making the Parish an even better place, for us and future generations.

The way to shape Heslington’s future is by having a Neighbourhood Plan.

Why Heslington needs a Neighbourhood Plan

Creating a Neighbourhood Plan means Heslington residents have the opportunity to influence the future development and use of land in the village.

The aim of our Plan is to allow businesses to thrive, while preserving the things that we appreciate living in this attractive area. It covers aspects such as identifying, preserving and enhancing our much loved green spaces, maintaining the agricultural rural aspect of the Parish, managing increased traffic pressure through the village and protecting the historic character of the area.

These elements are particularly important with the new large housing development proposals for Heslington set out in the City of York Local Plan.

Our Neighbourhood Plan looks in more detail at Heslington than does the Local Plan and will help influence planning decisions. Whilst Neighbourhood Plans must be consistent with York’s planning policies, our Plan will have its own distinctive local policies, with legal standing. These will be taken into account in future planning matters, such as housing, environment and the use of land.

With a Plan we will have more say about future developments.

Consultation, the final draft of your revised Neighbourhood Plan.

The plan benefits the community by giving strong local control in shaping future building development, protecting green spaces, encouraging suitable housing and promoting local infrastructure. It ultimately influences planning applications and brings tangible local improvements. A Neighbourhood Plan carries legal weight alongside the City of York’s adopted Local Plan. It’s therefore an extremely important document for your Parish.

The draft Heslington Neighbourhood Plan is based on the results of our earlier surveys and consultations. We have also taken guidance from both CYC Planning Department and professionals specialising in this field.

It has been the Parish Council’s sole objective to produce a Plan that represents the views of the community as a whole and, to this end, it’s important for you to review the Plan before it is finally submitted.

The next stage after draft consultation of Neighbourhood Plan

The next stage involves a review of the responses received to the consultation. This stage is crucial for ensuring that the plan is amended accordingly for submission. The plan, along with supporting documents such as a Basic Conditions Statement, Consultation Statement, and an environmental assessment, is then submitted to the local authority for further examination.

Independent Examination.

This stage is crucial as it ensures that the plan meets the basic conditions and legal requirements. The local authority appoints an examiner to assess whether the plan is robust and conforms to strategic local planning policies. If the plan passes this examination, it will proceed to a local referendum for adoption.