Hingham Neighbourhood Plan

Hingham Town Council submitted a Neighbourhood Area application to South Norfolk Council in September 2021. The area proposed was the whole civil parish and, in accordance with Regulation 5A of the 'Town and Country Planning, England - Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012', South Norfolk Council confirmed the designation. The Town Council is the relevant body for preparing the Neighbourhood Development Plan.

Since that time, a steering group of volunteers, working on behalf of the Town Council has developed a proposed Neighbourhood Plan for the parish, which has involved extensive research and consultation with the community and other stakeholder bodies. This was submitted to South Norfolk Council in February 2024. Please read below for the latest news on the Neighbourhood Plan.

Latest news

In accordance with Regulation 18 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012, South Norfolk Council has approved that the proposed Hingham Neighbourhood Plan should proceed to a local referendum, subject to the agreed modifications specified within the Council’s final Decision Statement.

In summary, the Council has approved each of the recommended modifications within the examiner’s original September 2024 report, apart from the recommendation to delete policy HING9 from the Neighbourhood Plan. The Council set out an alternative modification to this policy, which was subject to consultation and a further examination.

As highlighted in the Decision Statement, the Council has now approved the proposed modification to HING9, subject to the examiner’s further amendments as set out in his August 2025 report.

The Council will now prepare for a referendum on the modified Neighbourhood Plan. Further details will be available in due course.

To view the final Decision Statement, the examiner’s reports, the submitted Neighbourhood Plan and related information, please visit the link to the documents, below.

Background

Following its submission to South Norfolk Council, the proposed Hingham Neighbourhood Plan underwent an initial independent examination by Mr Andrew Ashcroft (Andrew Ashcroft Planning Ltd), which concluded on 23 September 2024.

South Norfolk Council proposed to approve each of the modifications within the examiner’s report apart from that relating to Policy HING9 – Allocation of land for community uses, where the examiner proposed to delete the policy. The Council proposed an alternative modification on the basis of new evidence having been presented by Hingham Town Council following receipt of the examiner’s report.

In accordance with paragraph 13(1) of Schedule 4B to the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, the Council consulted on its proposed modification in relation to HING9 during May and June 2025.

The representations received, including a summary, can be found in the ‘documents’ section, below. South Norfolk Council subsequently re-appointed Mr Ashcroft to consider the evidence and the Council’s proposed modifications before setting out his recommendations in a focused report.

This has now been produced and the Council has now made a decision in respect of the proposal, as detailed above. These details are set out in the final Decision Statement – please view the documents link below.

Planning Practice Guidance also provides advice on the weight to be attached to a post-examination plan.

View the Neighbourhood Plan documents.