Wyre Council announced their Revised Local Plan (Issues and Options) in August 2024 when they received indications from central government of the scope of housing needed to be built in their area. They now propose that the number of additional houses scheduled to be built in Inskip is a minimum of 150.
Neighbourhood Plan
The Inskip with Sowerby Neighbourhood Area Application was submitted by the Parish Council and approved on 2 May 2025 by Wyre Council, our local planning authority. As a result we are now able to move forward with an Inskip-with Sowerby Neighbourhood Plan and suggest where development should take place on sites put forward by landowners.
Neighbourhood Plans enable local communities, such as ours, to have a say in the development of their area. Parish Councils can produce neighbourhood plans for their area, putting in place a strategy and policies for future development. It may contain a vision, aims, planning policies, proposals for improving the area or providing new facilities, or allocation of key sites for specific kinds of development. These may be issues that are relevant to the whole neighbourhood or maybe just to part of the neighbourhood. To be clear, a neighbourhood plan should NOT promote less development than that identified in the Local Plan (see above) such as new housing allocations.
So what’s next?
For Inskip with Sowerby Neighbourhood Plan to be successful it should be able to prove that we are acting on the majority of views of the residents. The next step allows for residents to form a working party to help the Parish Council assess the views of the villagers. There is a need to conduct surveys, taking suggestions etc, and collate information in order to form a plan of how we see the future of our village.
Now is the time, and your opportunity, to have a say in what we want for our village. Which areas should be developed? What facilities should we strive to gain from development?
Preparing a Neighbourhood Plan is complex, time consuming and can be expensive and we have knowledge of other areas whose plans have failed due to lack of support. Please be assured, the Parish Council want the Inskip with Sowerby Neighbourhood Plan to be a success.