Dickleburgh and Rushall Neighbourhood Plan

In July 2017, Dickleburgh and Rushall Parish Council submitted a Neighbourhood Area application to South Norfolk Council, for the purpose of preparing a Neighbourhood Plan. The area subsequently designated by South Norfolk Council was the whole of the civil parish of Dickleburgh & Rushall. The Parish Council is the Qualifying Body for preparing the Neighbourhood Plan.

Since that time, a steering group of volunteers working on behalf of the Parish Council has developed a Neighbourhood Plan for the parish, which has involved extensive research and consultation with the community and other stakeholder bodies.

Latest news

A local referendum was held on Thursday 19 March 2026 in order to determine whether residents within the neighbourhood area support the proposed Dickleburgh & Rushall Neighbourhood Plan. 86.8% of those who voted did so in favour of the Neighbourhood Plan. This means that the document now forms part of the statutory development plan for the district and it will be used in order to help determine planning applications within the parish.

South Norfolk Council will make a decision on the adoption of the Neighbourhood Plan at its full Council meeting on 18 May 2026.

In the meantime, the referendum version of the Neighbourhood Plan is available to view in the documents section – please see the link below.

Background

Dickleburgh and Rushall Parish Council submitted its proposed Neighbourhood Plan and other required documents to South Norfolk Council in January 2025. The submitted documents were checked by the local planning authority against the relevant criteria in Schedule 4B of the Town & Country Planning Act 1990 and were approved for publication.

In accordance with Regulation 16 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations, 2012 (as amended), there followed a period of consultation on the Neighbourhood Plan, which took place between 24th February and 7th April 2025. A summary of the representations received during the consultation can be viewed in the documents section, below.

The Neighbourhood Plan was subsequently subject to an independent examination which was undertaken by Mr Andrew Ashcroft of Andrew Ashcroft Planning Ltd. In July 2025, Mr Ashcroft issued a ‘Notification of the need for a Hearing’ to South Norfolk Council and Dickleburgh & Rushall Parish Council. The hearing took place on Thursday 16 October 2025 at Dickleburgh Village Centre and addressed certain key matters as directed by the examiner. The hearing notices and other formal correspondence relating to the examination have been published in the documents section, below.

Mr Ashcroft submitted his final report to South Norfolk Council in December 2025, recommending that (subject to the specific modifications set out in his report) South Norfolk Council progresses the Neighbourhood Plan to a referendum within the parish.

South Norfolk Council subsequently made a decision to approve each of the examiner’s recommendations and to allow the Neighbourhood Plan, as modified, to proceed to a referendum.

The modifications that have been made to the Neighbourhood Plan are set out in the Council’s Decision Statement, which is available to view (along with the examiner’s report and related information) in the documents section, below.

View the Neighbourhood Plan documents.