Boughton and Dunkirk Neighbourhood Plan Referendum

Published Monday 16 January, 2023
Last updated on Friday 27 January, 2023

People in Boughton and Dunkirk will be asked to decide if Swale Borough Council should use a Neighbourhood Plan for their areas when determining future planning applications.

The Boughton and Dunkirk Neighbourhood Plan has been developed by the parish councils’ neighbourhood planning group following extensive consultation with the local community to set out a vision for the parishes up to 2031.

The plan covers a range of development topics such as traffic and transport, business and employment, health and community well-being, schools and education, the environment and the threat of climate change, and housing.

The plans have been through public consultation and an independent examination to make sure they meet the necessary legal requirements before being put to a local referendum on Thursday, 16 February 2023.

Cllr Mike Baldock, leader of Swale Borough Council, said:

“The neighbourhood planning group for Boughton and Dunkirk have done a great job putting together these plans, and I’d like to thank all those involved for their hard work over the last few years.

“It is important that local people have a say in what happens in their area, and I hope as many people as possible take part in the referendum.”

Jeff Tutt, chair of the Boughton and Dunkirk neighbourhood planning group, said:

“We’ve spent a long time, and put in a lot of work, to get this plan ready, and now we want local people to have their say.

“We’ve consulted widely to make sure the plan reflects the needs of the local community, and now we want people to have their say on whether it will be used by Swale when deciding planning applications.”

The referendum will ask people living in the parishes of Boughton and Dunkirk whether Swale Borough Council should use the neighbourhood plan to decide planning applications in the area.

Polling cards should be arriving in the next few days, and postal votes will be sent our around 1 February.

To find out more about the referendum, and to read the plan, visit our Boughton and Dunkirk Neighbourhood Plan referendum page.