The long-awaited and delayed referendum vote for the Marlborough Area Neighbourhood Plan will take place on Thursday next week. If you live in the Marlborough Town Council, or Mildenhall, or Savernake areas you should have already received your voting card with details of where to go and cast your vote.
Does it matter? Yes.
Whether the details of the plan are exactly as you or anyone wants, that’s not the issue to hand. This vote is about a plan or no plan. And, without recommending or talking up the merits of the plan – it’s not for us to do so – not having a plan can lead to all sorts of issues, particularly regarding Planning, where local input and influence will largely be ignored – or heavily compromised – due to the lack of a formal Neighbourhood Plan.
‘No plan’ creates a situation where all effective control was taken away from the community for whom the plan is there to protect – i.e. us all in Marlborough, Mildenhall and Savernake.
The referendum was due to happen last August but for legal reasons had to be ‘suspended’.
The Plan acts as a degree of protection for the area, detailing housing requirements, infrastructural needs and many other aspects covering the period up to 2036.
Twice Mayor, Cllr Mervyn Hall, who, as chair of the steering group (details here) has navigated the process of creating the Neighbourhood Plan since its inception in 2015 has listed nineteen separate areas of policy that the Plan covers, all of which are fundamental to the development and growth of Marlborough.
Read about the Marlborough Area Neighbourhood Plan here
So next Thursday – 23 March, go out and vote……
Marlborough Town Council election – no nominations so far for East ward
