Neighbourhood Plan Adoption
Following a successful referendum on 4 November 2025, Full Council resolved to make (adopt) the Neighbourhood Plan at it’s meeting on 3 December 2025. A copy of the made version of the Plan and the Decision Statement are available to download below. They are also available for inspection at the following locations during their normal opening hours:
- Pike Hill Library; and
- The Council’s Contact Burnley Offices.
Plan Preparation
Initial Stages
Following the designation of Worsthorne with Hurstwood Parish as a Neighbourhood Area, the Parish Council commenced work on preparing a Neighbourhood Development Plan (Neighbourhood Plan).
This work included the following:
- Establishing the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group comprising Parish Councillors and local residents
- The identification of a number of Key Issues, followed by Informal Consultation in early 2023
- The preparation of evidence base documents to support the emerging Plan – a Housing Needs Assessment, Design Guide and Biodiversity and nature conservation/recovery in Worsthorne-with-Hurstwood document
- Regulation 14 Consultation on a Draft Plan in March/April 2024
- Preparing the Submission Version of the Plan.
More information on these stages is available on the Parish Council website.
Post-Submission Stages
The Parish Council submitted the Submission Version of the Neighbourhood Plan to Burnley Council in April 2025. Following submission, it is Burnley Council’s responsibility to manage the remaining plan stages, as follows:
- Publication of the submission draft Neighbourhood Plan for comments under Regulation 16 – Carried out in May/June 2025
- Arranging for the Independent Examination of the Plan – The Examination formally concluded on 27 July 2025
- Deciding that the plan, with any necessary modifications, should proceed to referendum – Decision made 25 September 2025
- Arranging the Neighbourhood Plan Referendum – This took place on 4 November 2025
- Deciding that the plan should be made – Full Council resolved to make (adopt) the Neighbourhood Plan at it’s meeting on 3 December 2025.
More information on the post-submission stages is available on the following pages:
Worsthorne with Hurstwood Neighbourhood Plan: Regulation 16 Publication
Worsthorne with Hurstwood Neighbourhood Plan: Independent Examination
