What you told us.
A big thank you to everyone who participated in our Community Questionnaire on the Rooley Moor Neighbourhood Plan!
The Neighbourhood Forum has considered all your responses to the questions we asked you. The attached PDF document and the following detail provides a summary of what you told us and what the Plan’s policies and Proposals should seek to achieve.
A full detailed report is being prepared and when it’s ready we will make it available to read or download from our website.
Built Heritage
You told us:
- Conservation areas, their settings, listed buildings and heritage features should receive strong protection
- Key heritage features should be protected, promoted and enhanced, e.g. the Cotton Famine Road
Built Development
You told us:
- New development should be limited to that which is appropriate in the Green Belt
- New development should satisfy high standards of design to ensure local character and identity are retained
- Extensions, alterations and conversions should be supported provided that they respect local character and heritage
- Redundant and disused buildings should be brought back into use
Greenspaces and Environment
You told us:
- Key open spaces should be identified for protection and improvement
- Local landscape quality and character should be protected and improved
- Areas of nature conservation should be strongly protected and new areas established
- Trees and hedgerows should be protected
- Renewable or alternative energy should be encouraged provided it is of an appropriate scale and type and does not harm the landscape and heritage features
Countryside management and farming
You told us:
- Rural occupations should be supported
- Farm diversification should be supported, especially where it provides recreational opportunities, better land management, re-use of rural buildings etc.
Recreation
You told us:
- Key routes for walking, cycling and riding .e.g. the Mary Townley Loop, and access to them should be developed, promoted and improved
- Links between attractions should be improved and promoted (e.g. Healey Dell)
- Recreational activities which detract from environmental quality or the local landscape should be discouraged
- Equestrian activities and facilities of an appropriate scale should be supported
Accessibility
You told us:
- Better visitor facilities, like parking, are required
- Traffic calming on Rooley Moor Road, and improvements to roads, lanes, and footpaths are needed
- Footpaths, cycle routes and bridleways need improvement and their use by those with impaired mobility increased
- Signage and interpretation information needs to be improved
- Conflicts between cyclists, horseriders, walkers and vehicular traffic should be addressed
Visitors
You told us:
- Countryside visitor facilities should be improved, e.g. signage, interpretation, parking etc.
- Low key, small scale overnight accommodation would be appropriate
- Opportunities to promote interest in local heritage, rural skills, nature appreciation should be taken
We aim to address all these things through the Plan’s policies and proposals and to balance all interests in the area as best we can. The policies will provide extra detail to the Council’s existing planning policies and ensure that we can influence decisions on planning applications and investment decisions to best meet the interests of the Rooley Moor area and community. When we publish the plan, you will have an opportunity to comment on all the detail of the policies before we finalise it.
