RESIDENTS of Haydon parish now have more of a say over future development.

It comes after a referendum which will see the adoption of a neighbourhood plan for their area.

A local referendum held in the parish returned a majority vote (89 per cent) in favour of Northumberland County Council and Northumberland National Park Authority using the Haydon Parish Neighbourhood Plan to help decide planning applications in the future.

This means that future planning decisions in the parish will be made in line with policies in them, unless ‘material considerations’ indicate otherwise. 

The Plan was prepared by Haydon Parish Council and supported by the county council’s neighbourhood planning team. 

It focuses on a range of planning issues identified by the local community, including protecting and enhancing community facilities and local services, supporting housing development suitable for the parish, preserving the natural environment including valued local green areas, and protecting the built heritage of the parish.

The plan passed independent examination in March 2022 and will be officially adopted at an upcoming meeting of Northumberland County Council’s cabinet.

Work is underway on the preparation of neighbourhood plans in over 20 other parishes across Northumberland, while 19 neighbourhood plans are already in place.