Following the intensive community engagement and formal consultation period on the draft Liskeard Neighbourhood Development Plan, the Neighbourhood Plan Team have analysed the feedback and reported to the Town Council.
Overall the intentions and strategy of the draft Liskeard NDP has been well supported by the local community and local organisations. Statutory bodies have offered helpful advice. The comments received provide the basis for the Plan to be constructively amended to produce a local planning strategy that reflects local needs and aspirations. However, developers have criticised the housing delivery strategy and identified 3 sites beyond the proposed development boundary to provide several hundred more homes. Several responses have also identified technical issues with the document, such as typos, mapping errors etc, all of which are very helpful.
| “You have worked hard to engage with us in Liskeard and produced a detailed and comprehensive plan which is positive, but also shows we’re a valued community deserving of care and consideration”
A Resident of Liskeard |
The community response is well-informed and shows a depth of concern by residents for the future of their town. The vision and strategy of the NDP is supported, subject to some caveats around the detail on how it will be delivered. Positive views are expressed on the strategy to bring forward employment sites, not just as allocations, but also with the financial backing to see them develop, paced to match new housing provision. The proposals to help better skills training and assist in creating better paid jobs are also well received.
Making best use of brownfield land for housing, instead of using green countryside and affecting the setting of the town, for further development is supported. The need to rebalance the housing mix is welcomed, but several mention the need for later-living accommodation.
There is clear enthusiasm for Town Centre strategy measures that will enhance its function, improve pedestrian movement, and extend the range and quality of shopping opportunities offered, including the redevelopment of the Cattle Market site for a variety of uses such as a supermarket, community space for all ages, employment etc, although some current users are concerned about the impact that closure would have on the agricultural community. The heritage of the town continues to be recognized and valued, indeed throughout the making of the plan people have seen the value of our culture and heritage (including the World Heritage Site) as being the basis for effective economic regeneration.
There were many comments in support of the open space and leisure policies to protect and enhance play provision, as well as the heritage and landscape of the town and its hinterland, making it more accessible via paths and trails, and protecting local areas and views valued by residents for their health and well-being – whether for walking, running, cycling as well as a further idea of including an outdoor gym along some of these routes. The proposed new recreation area at Roundbury Park was very popular, for both formal and informal sport and play facilities (including an added suggestion for a running track). Policies on allotments, better connectivity, and safer crossings were all considered important.
However, many local respondents continue to be concerned, not only on the number of new houses we have to accommodate, but also the rate of delivery, and the need for the provision of jobs, town centre regeneration, and recreation and leisure facilities to keep pace, so that Liskeard grows steadily and keeps its character as a Cornish market town and doesn’t just become a dormitory for people working elsewhere.
Next Steps
The ‘Submission Draft’ that is sent to Cornwall Council for the next stages in the approval process has been prepared and approved by the Town Council, and will be published shortly along with several other formal documents that from the overall package.
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