Stebbing Parish Council

What does the Neighbourhood Plan mean to Us?

On the 23^rd June the residents of Stebbing overwhelmingly (97%) voted to adopt the Stebbing Neighbourhood Plan. On 20^th July Uttlesford District Council formally adopted the plan and so it is part of the plan policy in place for the District.

So what does this mean in simple terms for the people of Stebbing? The plan includes 28 different polices, but listed below are the key elements that will affect us.

Housing Development - The plan makes provision for 6 sites in the village where residential development is allocated (Chapter 10). It also lists a number of criteria that any future development should meet (Chapter 6). Any development that does not meet this criteria will not be compliant with the plan and will not normally be approved. The objective is to stop the speculative development proposals that have dogged the village for the last 10 years or so. It is still possible for other future development to go ahead, depending on the individual merits of each case, but it sets the bar far higher for approval and would need compelling reasons if not compliant with the plan.

Local Green Space – The plan makes provision for 7 areas of Local Green Space in the parish (Chapter 5). These are considered to be demonstrably special to the Parish and accordingly justify designation for protection and to safeguard their use and function, e.g. for sport and recreation, allotments, or areas of natural beauty and important landscape qualities valued by village residents. Local Green Space areas have strong legal protection against change of use for residential or commercial development. 

Green Wedge – The area between Stebbing Green, New Pastures Lane, Boxted Wood and the Braintree District Council boundary is designated as a Green Wedge. This gives special protection to that area over and above the restrictions that normally apply in rural areas. Any development within the Green Wedge should respect the open and undeveloped nature of the open valley side to preserve or enhance the setting and distinctive character and appearance and individual identities of Stebbing Green Character Area, Boxted Wood and the heritage assets in the area. This policy should also deter any major speculative development that previously threatened this area.

Village Projects – The plan recommends the Parish Council pursue number of projects (Chapter 12) in the parish these include: 1) improve facilities for the youth of the village, 2) improve cycling provisions in the village and 3) seek via UDC the formal designation of Stebbing Green as a ‘conservation area.’ 

The full plan can be accessed at https://www.stebbingneighbourhoodplan.co.uk/plan.

The Stebbing Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group once again would like to express their sincere thanks to our residents for coming out to support the plan and vote for its adoption on the day of the Referendum. The voter turn-out of 48% was very high indeed – in fact exceeding by some margin the turn-out at the previously made neighbourhood plan referenda held in the District.

 

324 - New Bus Service

There is a new bus service linking Stebbing to Great Dunmow, it is the 324 service, please click here for the timetable.

A Green Champion for Stebbing

Could you be the ‘Volunteer Green Champion’ Stebbing Parish Council is looking for? Could you engage with the local community and work to create ‘A Greener Stebbing’? If so, the Parish Council would be delighted to hear from any residents who would be interested in becoming our Green Champion.

The main purpose of this role is to create sustainable and environmental initiatives that help move Stebbing and Uttlesford towards the goal of net zero carbon status alongside protecting and enhancing our local biodiversity.

We are looking for someone who has an element of existing knowledge; the ability to put forward new ideas along with a willingness to listen; be a good communicator and enthusiastic about taking the residents of Stebbing on this exciting and necessary journey to a greener and more sustainable future.

You will need to come along to some council meetings and work with other committee members to develop and deliver solutions that are realistic and achievable for Stebbing. Help and guidance can also be found through a breadth of information provided by UDC and ECC.

Any adult can apply, it doesn’t matter what age you are. What does matter is that you are passionate about these issues and keen to help move the village forward. Please volunteer to help make our village A Greener Stebbing.

If you are interested, please contact: Greg King, Parish Clerk at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.