Stone Neighbourhood Plan for Referendum

Neighbourhood Planning Referendum 

Stafford Borough Council will be organising the referendum for the Stone Neighbourhood Plan.

The Council’s Electoral Services are required to publish a ‘Notice of Referendum’ 25 working days before the day of the referendum.

Neighbourhood Planning Referendums are conducted in accordance with procedures which are similar to those used at local government elections. The referendum must be in accordance with Schedule 3 and 5 (The Neighbourhood Planning Referendums) of the Neighbourhood Planning Regulations 2012.

Information on the referendum process is available on Stafford Borough Council’s website and includes the places where the hard copy documents will be available for public viewing. Please click on the following link to learn more: Stone Neighbourhood Plan Referendum on 6 May 2021.

Voters living within the Neighbourhood area (Stone Town boundary) will receive a poll card similar to those used at elections and this will provide details of when and where they can vote on the Neighbourhood Plan. 

There are three ways of voting:

• In person at your local polling station
• By post
• By proxy

If more than 50% of people voting in the referendum support the Plan, then Stafford Borough Council as the local planning authority must bring it into force. The Neighbourhood Development Plan once adopted will then become part of the Development Plan and Stafford Borough Council will use the plan to help to decide planning applications in the town.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has published planning guidance setting out that neighbourhood plans awaiting referendums should be given significant weight in decison-making.