RESIDENTS fighting to protect their community from unwelcome development have been told by a Government planning tsar that the “best defence” would be a neighbourhood plan.

MP John Howell OBE, who helped create Government policy on neighbourhood plans, visited Hutton Rudby to share his expertise recently, in a meeting organised by local MP Rishi Sunak.

The village has a population in the region of 1,500 residents, but eight parcels of land in and around the North Yorkshire village are being touted for inclusion in Hambleton District Council’s new local plan as suitable for housing.

Several planning proposals have also been submitted in recent months for housing developments.

Those fighting the proposals say they see the need for housing - with rents and house prices out of reach for many wishing to stay in the village – but want some control over where the development of their community happens and are looking into drawing up their own neighbourhood plan.

Mr Howell spoke at a packed public meeting in the village about how neighbourhood plans were the way for local people to exert some control over how their communities grew in the future.

The MP for Henley said a robust plan drawn up by a parish council, which identified areas for future development and laid down guidelines for design and layout, could help villages like Hutton Rudby fend off speculative and inappropriate proposals from developers.

He told the meeting: “Some developers will exploit any weakness in the local planning framework. The best defence is a neighbourhood plan which clearly has the support of the local community backed up by a bigger district-wide plan drawn up by the local council.

“I can’t guarantee a neighbourhood plan will see off every unwelcome proposal but I can tell you that with a neighbourhood plan in place, you will be in a much stronger position.”

Mr Sunak, who had invited the MP to the meeting, said: “I was very grateful to Mr Howell for travelling up from his constituency to attend the meeting. He gave some excellent advice which should help and encourage Hutton Rudby and other similar communities to create neighbourhood plans so they have a greater say in their futures.”

The public meeting was attended by members of the Hutton Rudby neighbourhood plan group, parish and district councillors and residents from nearby communities.

They asked Mr Howell a range of questions about the effectiveness of neighbourhood plans and how to go about creating one.

The MP urged those present to work closely with their communities and the local planning authority and move quickly. Those communities without an effective neighbourhood plan in place would be more vulnerable to speculative development proposals.

He also urged them to make sure their plans covered design. Too many plans only dealt with where development was thought appropriate and didn’t set out the type and style of buildings that would be acceptable.