Deerhurst Parish Council is currently in the process of preparing a Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) for the parish.
A Neighbourhood Development Plan allows the local community to have a greater say in how the parish develops in the future. Once adopted, the Plan will form part of the statutory development plan and will be used by the local planning authority when considering planning applications within the parish.
An evidence base has been gathered to help inform the policies and proposals within the Neighbourhood Development Plan. These documents provide background information, data and analysis relating to the parish and its needs.
The supporting evidence documents are listed below along with the current draft of the NDP and will be updated as work on the Neighbourhood Development Plan progresses.
Deerhurst Neighbourhood Development Plan – update, September 2026
Where we are
Good news: Tewkesbury Borough Council has confirmed that our Neighbourhood Development Plan has passed its formal check.
Earlier this summer the Parish Council submitted the Deerhurst Neighbourhood Development Plan 2024–2041 to the Borough Council, together with its supporting documents – the Basic Conditions Statement, the Consultation Statement, and the full evidence base. This is the “Regulation 15” submission, the point at which the Plan passes out of the Parish Council’s hands and into the statutory examination process.
The Borough Council’s Planning Policy team has now reviewed the submission and confirmed that it meets all the requirements of Regulation 15 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012. The Plan is therefore cleared to move to the next stage.
What happens next
The next step is the Regulation 16 consultation. The Borough Council will publish the submitted Plan and its supporting documents and invite comments from anyone who wishes to make them, over a period of at least six weeks. This consultation is run by the Borough Council, not the Parish Council, and the comments received go directly to the independent examiner rather than back to us. The Borough Council will confirm the dates shortly, and we will publicise them here and around the parish as soon as we have them.
After the Regulation 16 consultation closes, the Borough Council will appoint an independent examiner to consider the Plan, the supporting documents and all the representations received. The examiner will check that the Plan meets the “basic conditions” set out in law and may recommend modifications. Examinations are usually conducted in writing, though the examiner can call a public hearing if they think one is needed.
If the examiner recommends that the Plan proceeds, the final stage is a parish referendum. Everyone on the electoral register in Deerhurst parish will be asked whether they want the Borough Council to use the Plan when deciding planning applications in the area. If more than half of those voting say yes, the Plan is “made” and becomes part of the statutory development plan for Deerhurst, Apperley and Wightfield.
Thank you
The Borough Council’s confirmation also included its thanks to everyone involved in preparing the Plan. The Parish Council would like to echo that. This Plan is the product of several years of work by the Steering Group and, above all, of the residents who completed surveys, attended events and responded to the Regulation 14 consultation earlier this year. Your views have shaped the policies it contains.
We will post further updates as the Regulation 16 timetable is confirmed. In the meantime, the submitted Plan and supporting documents can be viewed here, and any questions can be sent to the Clerk at clerk@deerhurst-pc.gov.uk.
Neighbourhood Development Plan
Below is a helpful guide designed to briefly explain the policies included in the NDP.
Documentary Evidence Base
Deerhurst Housing Needs Assessment
Deerhurst NDP Questionnaire Report (PRELIMINARY)
Deerhurst Housing Calculation 2020
Deerhurst NDP Background Paper