The Rufforth with Knapton Neighbourhood Plan was formally adopted by City of York Council Executive on 20 December 2018.
View the adopted Rufforth with Knapton Neighbourhood Plan and the Council's Decision Statement.
Paper copies of both documents are also available to view at our Customer Centre at West Offices, Monday to Friday between 8.30am and 5.00pm, by appointment only.
To organise an appointment, please contact the Forward Planing Team directly by telephone: 01904 552255, or by email: neighbourhoodplanning@york.gov.uk.
In accordance with The Neighbourhood Plan (General) Regulations 2012, this Neighbourhood Plan will be used when determining future planning applications within the identified Rufforth with Knapton Neighbourhood Area.
Background to Rufforth and Knapton Neighbourhood Plan
Timetable summary of producing the Neighbourhood Plan
| Stage | Date |
|---|---|
| Neighbourhood Area Designation | 6 July 2015 |
| Pre-Submission Plan published | 7 July 2017 |
| Final Plan submitted | 21 February 2018 |
| Examiner's Report received | 17 July 2018 |
| Decision Statement | 27 September 2018 |
| Referendum | 20 November 2018 |
| Adoption | 20 December 2018 |
Designation of Neighbourhood Plan Area
In January 2015, Rufforth and Knapton Parish Council wrote to us formally submitting an application for designation of a Neighbourhood Plan area. This was followed by a 4-week consultation between 11 May and 8 June 2015. During this period, people who live, work and conduct business in the area were able to comment on the application and boundary. In total, 27 positive representations were received in response to the application for a Neighbourhood Plan for the area.
Rufforth and Knapton Parish Council's Neighbourhood Plan application and boundary was approved at the decision-making session on 6 July 2015, enabling work to start on developing the Neighbourhood Plan for the area.
Pre-Submission Consultation
A Pre-Submission Consultation on their draft Neighbourhood Plan and associated documents ran between 7 July and 18 August 2017. (For more details and to download the consultation documents, visit the Rufforth with Knapton Neighbourhood Plan website).
Submission of the Rufforth with Knapton Neighbourhood Plan
Rufforth with Knapton Parish Council submitted the final draft of the Rufforth with Knapton Neighbourhood Plan on 21 February 2018. We consulted on the final Neighbourhood Plan documents from 19 March to 2 May 2018; the submitted documents were available to view online and in locations throughout the Parish.
The following documents were submitted to City of York Council for Examination by an Independent Examiner:
- Rufforth with Knapton Neighbourhood Plan Submission Version
- Rufforth with Knapton Neighbourhood Plan Appendices
- Rufforth with Knapton Neighbourhood Plan Proposals Map
- Rufforth with Knapton Neighbourhood Plan Strategic Environmental Assessment Summary
- Rufforth with Knapton Neighbourhood Plan Strategic Environmental Assessment
- Rufforth with Knapton Neighbourhood Plan Basic Conditions Statement
- Rufforth with Knapton Neighbourhood Plan Habitat Regulations Assessment
- Rufforth with Knapton Neighbourhood Plan Consultation Statement
Independent Examination
Following the end of the Submission Consultation on 2 May 2018, the representations received were sent together with the submitted Neighbourhood Plan documents to an independent Examiner. The Examiner was satisfied that the examination could proceed by way of written representations as opposed to a formal hearing.
The Examiner chaired an initial meeting between Rufforth with Knapton Parish Council/Neighbourhood Planning Group and the council on 12 June 2018. Following the meeting and the Examiner's unaccompanied visit to the area, the Examiner sent his Clarification Note on the Plan to the Parish Council for comment. The Rufforth with Knapton Neighbourhood Planning Group submitted their response to the Clarification Note.
Mr Andrew Ashcroft carried out the examination by written representations and provided his final report on 17 July 2018. The Examiner's Report concluded:
"On the basis of the findings in this report I recommend to the City of York Council that subject to the incorporation of the modifications set out in this report that the Rufforth with Knapton Neighbourhood Development Plan should proceed to referendum."
The Examiner's Report and our Decision Statement were reported to Members at Local Plan Working Group on 20 September 2018 and at Executive on 27 September 2018. Executive Members agreed with the officers' recommendations that the Neighbourhood Plan could proceed to referendum.
The Rufforth with Knapton Neighbourhood Plan proceeded to referendum on Tuesday 20 November 2018 in line with the Neighbourhood Planning (Referendums) Regulations 2012 (as amended). For further information, see our Notice of the Referendum and Referendum Information Statement. The applicable referendum expenses limit was £2,856.42. The number of people entitled to vote in the referendum by reference to which this limit has been calculated is 838. The specified referendum documents were:
- Rufforth with Knapton Neighbourhood Plan (referendum version, October 2018)
- The independent Examiner's Report
- Summary of Responses made to the Rufforth with Knapton Submission Consultation
- Decision Statement by the local planning authority that the draft plan meets those basic conditions and complies with the provision made by or under sections 38A and 38B of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (as amended)
- General Statement that sets out general information in relation to town and country planning (including neighbourhood planning) and the referendum
- Referendum Information Statement that sets out information specific to the referendum
Rufforth with Knapton Neighbourhood Plan Referendum
A referendum was held on the Rufforth with Knapton Neighbourhood Plan on Tuesday 20 November 2018. The referendum question was:
"Do you want City of York Council to use the Neighbourhood Plan for Rufforth with Knapton to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?"
Referendum result: Rufforth with Knapton vote 'Yes'
Here is a summary of the referendum result:
- ballot papers issued: 277
- 'yes' votes: 256 (93%)
- 'no' votes: 20 (7%)
- ballot papers rejected: 1
- electorate: 842
- turnout: 32.9%
Breakdown of rejected ballot papers:
- want of an official mark: 0
- voting for more answers than required: 0
- writing or mark by which voter could be identified: 0
- being unmarked or wholly void for uncertainty: 1
Download the Declaration of result of poll for the Referendum on the Rufforth with Knapton Neighbourhood Plan.
The Rufforth with Knapton Neighbourhood Plan was reported to City of York Council Members at a meeting of the Local Plan Working Group and Executive in December 2018 to request that they formally 'make' the Neighbourhood Plan.