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Hartest Neighbourhood Plan
The Hartest Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) has been prepared by Hartest Parish Council and the local community and will be used to help guide and shape future development in the parish.
Reg 20 Formal adoption (21 May 2026)
In an 'Officer Decision', effective from Thursday 21 May 2026, Babergh District Council have agreed to adopt (make) the Hartest NDP.
Covering the period to 2037, the NDP now forms part of the development plan and will be used to help make decisions on planning applications in the parish, unless material considerations indicate otherwise.
- Read the adopted Hartest NDP 2024 - 2037
- Read the adoption Decision Statement
- See the Officer Decision documentation
Supporting evidence
The adopted plan refers to the following supporting evidence documents:
- Hartest Design Codes & Guidance (AECOM, Jun 2023)
- Important Views Assessment (Mar 2026)
- Hartest Character Appraisal (July 2025)
Previous stages...
Local Referendum (7 May 2026)
A local referendum was held on 7 May 2026. The question asked of those entitled to vote was:
Do you want Babergh District Council to use the Neighbourhood Plan for Hartest to help it decide planning applications in the Neighbourhood Plan Area?
- View the declared result - a majority 'Yes' vote
An updated Important Views Assessment document was also published alongside the referendum version plan. It can now be found with the other supporting evidence documents published further above.
Reg 18 Decision Statement (26 Jan 2026)
Procedures agreed in late 2021 meant that a NDP could be advanced to a local referendum without Cabinet approval where there was no objection to implementing the Examiner's recommendations in full. That applied in this case, with our decision confirmed through publication of the following statement:
Reg 17 Examination (Final Report 12 Jan 2026)
Babergh District Council appointed Ann Skippers BSc (Hons) MRTPI FRSA AoU to carry out an independent examination of the Hartest NDP. The examination relied on the submitted documents and written representations.
On Monday 12 January 2026, the Examiner issued her final report. It recommended that subject to some minor modifications being made, this NDP would meet the basic condition tests and that it should proceed to a local referendum.
Reg 16 Submission consultation (ended 10 Oct 2025)
The Hartest NDP was made available for public consultation between 26 August and 10 October 2025. The Parish Council (the qualifying body) had submitted the following documents:
- A Map identifying the Hartest NDP Area
- The Submission draft Hartest NDP 2024 - 2037
- A Consultation Statement
- A Basic Conditions Statement
- A Design Codes & Guidance document, and a Character Appraisal [both now published above with the adopted plan]
- An Assessment of Important Views (March 2025) [subsequently replaced by the version now published with the adopted plan]
- Copies of the SEA & HRA Screening Reports (LUC, Oct 2024) and our Determination Notice (Dec 2024), published below
An assessment on how this NDP met the basic condition tests formed part of the examination. Our initial checks suggested that the relevant procedural requirements had been met. See our Regulation 15 Checklist.
Respondents were also reminded that their comments would be shared with the Examiner and, with the exception of personal contact details, be published on this webpage. The Parish Council were also given the opportunity to respond to new issues raised at this stage.
- See the Reg 16 consultation responses (includes the Parish Council response)
SEA/HRA Screening and Determination (Dec 2024)
The 2024 pre-submission draft Hartest NDP was screened to determine whether a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and or a Habitats Assessment (HRA) were required. Both were 'screened out'. The relevant reports and our determination notice are published below:
- Read the Hartest NDP SEA Screening Report (LUC, Oct 2024)
- Read the Hartest NDP HRA Screening Report (LUC, Oct 2024)
- Read the Hartest NDP SEA HRA Determination Notice (Dec 2024)
Reg 14 Pre-submission consultation (5 Oct to 18 Nov 2024)
Consultation by Hartest Parish Council on this version of their draft NDP closed on 18 November 2024.
Reg 14 Pre-submission consultations (2017, 2018, and 2021)
Previous draft versions of this NDP were consulted on by the Parish Council in Spring 2017, Spring 2018, and early 2021.
Reg 05 Area Designation (5 June 2014)
The Hartest NDP area was designated by Babergh District Council on 5 June 2014.