Eye Neighbourhood Plan

Local residents, with support from the Parish Council, are creating a Neighbourhood Plan. When completed it will give us a powerful voice in managing the way our village develops in the future. The plan will give us the legal authority to decide where new homes, business premises and amenities should be built, and how they should be designed. But only with your support can this ever be achieved, without a neighbourhood plan the village is at the mercy of town planners.

According to Census data Eye is the fastest growing rural village in the Peterborough area. In 2011 the population was 4,340, by 2021 it had reached 5,409, that’s a growth of over 25%! That compares to 17.4% for Peterborough and 6.6% for England overall. Only with a neighbourhood plan can residents have any influence over this in the future.

The Neighbourhood Plan will focus on seven key areas:

Our vision: The Eye community will protect its unique characteristics and conservation area while innovating and adapting to improve the future, reflecting the past and embracing the present while facing the future together.

This facet of the neighbourhood plan will cover the type of businesses and and range of roles that are available in the village, how much employment is local and how much involves commuting. Whether the village needs additional industrial or commercial space to meet the needs of the population. How we protect the existing commercial spaces.

This will provide information on the history of the village, including listed buildings, scheduled ancient monuments, the character of the village and the conservation area.

This will cover the current number of homes, types and ages. Locations for future development, the types of homes and number, and those areas that we want protected from development.

This will cover the community assets including community centres, key local shops (e.g. chemist, post office, newsagents), libraries, youth centres, parks, play areas, nurseries/crèches, pubs, health centres and surgeries.

Capacity of transport network, public transport. facilities and safety for pedestrians and cyclists, car parking, proximity of major roads.

Landscape designations, such as the 'green wedge' sites of special scientific interest, areas of outstanding natural beauty, nature reserves and tree preservation orders. Also, quality of agricultural land. In addition, key natural features such as woods, rivers and other water features.

Once all the information and evidence has been gathered a draft form of the neighbourhood plan will need be approved by the Parish Council and the Planning Authority. It will then be sent to an external independent examiner for checking.

After any necessary amendments, the residents of Eye will be asked to indicate their acceptance of the plan at a local referendum.  If residents approve, the plan becomes legally ‘made’.

How the plan will influence future planning decisions

Planning applications are approved or rejected based on several important documents:

In future, our Neighbourhood Plan will also be consulted and will have equal legal standing the the city’s local plan when any development is put forward in the village. In fact Larkfleet, now Allison Homes, contested Uppingham Neighbourhood Plan at the court of appeal in relation to some land in the town they had a commercial interest in, and lost the case.

Neighbourhood Plan meetings

Public are welcome
Leeds Hall, Eye, 7pm

2025

  • Tuesday 11 February
  • Tuesday 14 January

2024

  • Tuesday 19 November
  • Thursday 10 October
  • Tuesday 3 September
  • Tuesday 9 July
  • Tuesday 11 June
  • Tuesday 7 May
  • Tuesday 9 April
  • Tuesday 12 March

How you can be involved

  • Join us at our next meeting. We have a steering group in place which meets monthly, and all meetings are open to all residents.
  • Take on an area of research. Use your knowledge for the benefit of the community to define and write our policies.
  • Pass the word on to others.  Help us to reach out to everyone so every resident knows about our plan.

Keep in touch

Email us at  eyeparishcouncil@btinternet.com, write to us at: Eye Parish Council, Leeds Hall, High Street, Eye, PE6 7UP or use our Contact Form.