On Thursday 19th October you voted in Dordon's Referendum on our Neighbourhood Plan! 

Click here to see the NWBC result of the referendum.

​Dordon Neighbourhood Plan
 
Sadly, we find ourselves having to promote a plan that none of our group wanted to have to put forward. On 23rd September 2021, North Warwickshire Borough Council approved their Local Plan which means what is now site H4, previously H7, will go ahead despite over 2,000 written objections being made by people in Dordon and Polesworth.
Interestingly, for each objection it is now confirmed that we will get a house built, 2,000 minimum new builds in H4, two-thirds of which are in Dordon.
So now this village is about to go through the biggest change in its history and all within the next 9 to 10 years.
Not wishing to get involved in the politics of this decision, we as a Parish Council, are stuck with it and regrettably we can only make the best of what a lot of residents consider to be a very bad deal.
It is with this in mind and the fact we must comply with the Local Plan of the Borough Council that our Neighbourhood plan has to be viewed. The battle of these new builds is now over, and we must now secure what is best for Dordon. With such a massive development in our Parish and Neighbouring Polesworth, it is inevitable that changes will be viewed by some locals as to the detriment of their village where they grew up and call home.
However, change is coming and there is nothing else to be done but to try and protect as much as we can of our green and rural village which is now classed as a “market town with Polesworth” Not all will be doom and gloom as some good infrastructure must come with this.
Our neighbourhood plan, which we considered, took nearly two years to put together and it is hoped that everyone in Dordon will find it to be a glimpse into the future and how some basic improvements can be achieved which will enhance the area.
A relief road to take the pressure off Long Street is essential and a new rerouted A5 (eventually), is a must.  Schools, a new village shopping centre, parks, open green spaces, walkways and cycle routes are also very high up on the list of what we must achieve.
Preserving what is good, including heritage and green field open spaces are also what this plan hopes to achieve.
I would like to thank Helen Metcalfe our consultant planner who has been invaluable helping our working group bring together what we hope to be a successful neighbourhood plan.
I would also like to thank all members of the committee who gave up their time for free and put countless hours into working to achieve our goals. Our team consisted of John Winter, Mark Doggett, Bev Garratt, Byron Melia, Donna Watts and Davina Ridley.
Special mention must be given to Bob Kind who began the journey with us but unfortunately could not be here at the end.
The Dordon Neighbourhood plan has been discussed with Polesworth Parish Council, North Warwickshire Borough Council and landowners agents’. We hope it provides the basis of a way forward for all parties to make Dordon a great place to live in the future.
 
 
 Steve Ridley
 Dordon Neighbourhood Plan Working Group

At last! After two years of work and consultation, our very large plan is ready for you to read! We have also produced a guide to the plan called the “Neighbourhood Plan in a Nutshell” explaining the 15 policies we are proposing. We will keep you up to date with what’s going on and how you can have your say.
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​Click here to see the full 100 page Neighbourhood Plan...

...or click here to see the much shorter “Neighbourhood Plan in a Nutshell”...

Further details on the dedicated Neighbourhood Plan Website!

​To see aerial views and videos of the H4 and Meaningful Gap locations, visit our Dordon from above page.

The Local Plan for North Warwickshire has now been adopted by the Borough Council. Click here to read more.
One thing to note is that the area originally designated "H7" is now called "H4". 
Below is a map of the "H4" area earmarked for housing development in the newly adopted Local Plan.

The Neighbourhood Plan group are meeting in response, and our published Neighbourhood Plan will reflect these latest developments. As we have said below, it is vital that our own plan is in place to influence the proposed developments.
Carry on reading below to find out more about why we have written a Neighbourhood Plan for the Parish.

Just in case you have missed appendix AD/1 of North Warwickshire’s Local Plan documents it is reproduced here. This Appendix covers a survey carried out by professionals at LUC looking at what heritage assets we have in our area and how they could be affected by the new build.
Section 5 of the report deals with Dordon and Polesworth and is well worth a look.
One of the Grade II listed features that will be affected by the new build is the obelisk and its surroundings.
The obelisk was erected by Sir George Chetwynd in the 19th Century after work on the railway had uncovered graves associated with the chapel of St Leonard at Hoo. The chapel itself was commissioned by Roger de Grendon in the 1100’s and was later given to Polesworth Abbey. The chapel had two priests living there so presumably there would be archaeological evidence of dwellings as well as the chapel and graveyard. The chapel was demolished in 1538 in the time of Henry VIII. At that time, the Priests were being paid £10 a year! For more information about the Hoo Obelisk, Margaret Henley has written a great article on “Visit Polesworth”. Although now in Polesworth Parish we know that in the 18th Century this area was classed as Dordon. Although the Obelisk is not on the original site of the chapel the whole area is sensitive as it is also very likely the site of an Iron Age Hillfort.

​Another historically sensitive area is the surroundings of Dordon Hall. The survey reports that not only will part of the original gardens be affected by the new build but also the surroundings to the east where some of the farm buildings date back to the 17th Century.

​The survey records the site of cottages surrounding Hollies Wood which can be seen on the 1850’s Tithe Map.

There is a lot of valuable information in the report, so it is well worth a look!