Neighbourhood Plans (NP) were introduced by the Government in 2011. Their aim is to give local residents a greater say in development that goes on in their area. The Budleigh Salterton Neighbourhood Plan (BSNP) is a community-led planning document, overseen by the Town Council, which will influence development in Budleigh Salterton over the next 15 or so years. It is linked to and bound by the constraints of the EDDC Local Plan.

The BSNP was created by a steering group made up of members of the town council, local amenity groups and individuals from the wider community.

A Referendum was held on 6 September and voters were asked the question:

“Do you want East Devon District Council to use the Neighbourhood Plan for Budleigh Salterton to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?”

Turnout for the event was excellent with 1395 residents (31.3% of those eligible to vote) choosing to attend and the plan was voted through by 94.7% of attendees, which was an exceptionally high result.

The plan sets out policies for the future of Budleigh Salterton, which is located in East Devon’s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the southern part of East Devon. The plan will be used to help inform future decisions about development and planning applications.

Following the adoption of the BSNP the Town Council set up a committee to monitor the effectiveness of the Plan.  This committee reports to the Council biannually and details of its findings are published on the website.

Further information about the NP process is available on the East Devon District Council website