A PLAN which gives residents the chance to safeguard landscape and heritage as well as drive positive change in their parish has passed an important milestone.

The Calstock Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) has been five years in the making so far, and has now passed legal compliance checks with Cornwall Council.

The next stage is for Cornwall Council to send it the document out for further consultation, a process which would normally take six weeks, but because of Covid-19 restrictions, will now run for a 12-week period.

If adopted at referendum, the Plan will become a statutory document alongside natinal policy and Cornwall’s Local Plan.

Cllr Alastair Tinto, chairman of the NDP Committee said: ’This is a terrific milestone for Calstock Parish Council and the members of the community who have worked so hard on this plan; it has taken over five years of commitment and effort. The plan was shaped by public feedback and community engagement and reflects the strong views that the landscape, heritage, and character of our local area should be protected. It allows for slow but steady growth within the settlement boundaries and encourages fully affordable social housing. I would like to thank all members of the committee who have worked tirelessly on this, members of the pubic who have engaged in the process and the Parish Council for supporting this piece of work.’

The plan itself sets out guidelines for transport and communications, landscape, infrastructure, community services and facilities, housing, heritage and design, the local economy and tourism, flood management, environment and biodiversity, and renewable energy and sustainable design.

Gill Court is a member of the committee. She said: ’There’s been much debate about the amount of new housing the parish can cater for.

’We are now well over the amount of new houses required as part of the Cornwall local plan – so the Neighbourhood Plan is recommending that development is limited to infill, and affordable housing in small plots.’

Mitigating the climate emergency is a key part of the Calstock NDP, said Councillor Theo Brown.

And speaking of the congestion and pollution on the A390 through St Ann’s Chapel and Gunnislake, Cllr Terry Letchford says: ’The Neighbourhood Plan was not just written to protect the things we love about Calstock, but to change things and improve.’

A video explaining the kepy aspects of the Plan as well as the whole document can be viewed at www.plan4calstockparish.uk