CANDIDATES standing in the town council elections on Thursday, May 2, are being urged to pledge their support on record for the Droitwich Spa Neighbourhood Plan.
And members of the plan’s working group will be publishing the statements of those standing on its dsnpwg.org website.
The group claimed the leaders of the main political parties in Droitwich had stated their commitment to the Neighbourhood Plan but added it was keen for every member to clearly state their position on it.
The working group has also made a brief overview paper available for those who are standing and are not familiar with the plan or the power it has.
Candidates can inform the working group of their position by email to [email protected] or via the Contact Us page on the website and residents will be able to see the candidates’ stances.
Acting chair of the Working Group Mike Lambden said: “A Neighbourhood Plan puts power back into the hands of local residents, employees and businesses, the local council and civic leaders – those who know best the needs of their local areas.
“We are anxious to ensure that work re-starts on the Neighbourhood Plan very quickly after the new council has been elected especially with so much development occurring within the Droitwich Spa area.”
When Malvern residents head to the polls on Thursday they will be voting on whether to adopt the town’s Neighbourhood Plan and members of the Droitwich group fears that with more areas having the documents, Droitwich could become a ‘soft target’ for unwanted development.
The Droitwich Spa Neighbourhood Plan was controversially suspended back in September when the press and public were excluded from the discussions.
Then in February this year during another meeting – when the plan was described as ‘Droitwich’s Brexit’ – the town council agreed to meet with members of the working group.
Most members of the non-political working group were involved in the Neighbourhood Plan while it was active and want to persuade the new-look town council to restart the process as soon as possible after the election.
