Bracebridge Heath parish residents will have the opportunity to vote on a Neighbourhood Plan for the area through an upcoming referendum.
Bracebridge Heath Parish Council along with the help of their local community prepared the Neighbourhood Plan for their parish. The plan sets out their vision for the future and planning policies, which will be used to determine any planning applications within the area.
The plan was formally submitted to North Kesteven District Council to be subject to a period of publicity, with a public consultation running from early April to early June 2021.
A referendum will now take place on Tuesday 8 March 2022 asking: "Do you want North Kesteven District Council to use the Neighbourhood Plan for Bracebridge Heath to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?"
Poll cards have been sent out to those in the Bracebridge Heath parish eligible to vote in the referendum, which will indicate their polling station. Please note there is a change to one polling station – the Methodist Church Hall, Grantham Road is being used instead of the Village Hall.
If you live in the parish and are eligible to vote but have not received a poll card, please contact 01529 308352 so the poll team can check whether you are registered.
The last date for applying to register to vote is Friday 18 February. If you are not on the electoral register, you will need to go online to gov.uk/register-to-vote to apply online or access a paper form.
The last day to apply for a postal vote or to cancel/amend an existing postal or proxy vote is 5pm on Monday 21 February. The last day for applying for a new proxy vote is 5pm on Monday 28 February.
More regarding voting at the Referendum and information on the Neighbourhood Plan can be found here [Link removed content no longer available].
To review a hard copy of documents relating to the Neighbourhood Plan and referendum, you can also contact the Partnerships Team at the District Council Offices on 01529 414155. Hard copies are available at Bracebridge Heath Library during normal opening hours.
Chief Executive of North Kesteven District Council Ian Fytche will be the Counting Officer for this Referendum. The Counting Officer has the same role as the Returning Officer, who is responsible for the conduct of elections in the District.
The Referendum area is identical to the area which has been designated as the Bracebridge Heath Neighbourhood Plan area, which covers the parish of Bracebridge Heath.