The structure of these webpages is designed to help you find information about the Neighbourhood Development Plan. If you have comments or questions about the website and its contents, please email these to the Parish Clerk at clerk@houghtononthehillpc.org.uk.

The examination of the NDP is now completed. The NDP now proceeds to Referendum on February 26th 2026. Below you will find a copy of the Examiner's report, and copies of the Referendum versions of the NDP and VDG&C as modified to the recommendations of the Examiner's report.

The arrangements for the referendum are now completed and the details are as follows.

Houghton Parish Council has produced an information flyer which will be distributed to households throughout the parish. You may also read and download the copy below.

Following a community referendum in 2018, the current Neighbourhood Development Plan was officially declared as 'made' by Harborough District Council in April 2018. At that time several developers had planning permission for housing developments around the village. These were all delivered by the end of 2023, increasing the number of dwellings in Houghton to just under 800 with the community population rising towards 2000.

With the continuing increase in the national population there is, and will likely continue to be, pressure for more housing throughout the country. Under national planning law, Houghton will be expected to provide some share of this. Thus, it is likely that Houghton will continue to grow. The only way the community can influence how this happens is through having its own up to date Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP). Also the Covid Pandemic has brought changes to our community and the way we lead our lives such as more homeworking, involvement in community activities, shopping habits.

Houghton Parish Council formed a Working Party in 2021 to review the current NDP, and research and consult on a revised version. The information on this website demonstrates the activities taking place in the review process.

Following consultation with the community via a questionnaire (over 60% reply rate from 800 homes), with other stakeholders including potential developers, The Neighbourhood Plan Working Party (NPWP) produced a 'pre-submission' draft of a revised NDP. The NDP itself is accompanied by a companion document, the 'Village Design Guide and Codes' (VDG&C). Both documents were then subject to a 6-week consultation period (Regulation-14) in Autumn 2024.

All responses to the consultation draft were considered, and various amendments were made, to produce a revised draft, the 'submission' version, which was submitted to Harborough District Council (HDC) in May 2025 for its approval.

HDC assessed these two documents and accepted them with a few fairly minor editorial comments. These were taken on board by the NPWP and a further version of the NDP and VDG&C produced, which also included some minor typographic and formatting corrections. This version then became the 'Examination' version. This version was then publicised for a further 6-week period of consultation (Regulation-16). Since HDC had accepted this document, the consultation was organised by HDC with all comments to be submitted to HDC. The consultation period was from July 2nd to August 13th, 2025.

Supporting evidence documents for the Examination copy of the NDP are available in the Evidence Base. Click to navigate directly to them.

In September 2025, these two documents and all the submitted comments were sent to an Independent Examiner to assess whether the documents complied with the legal requirements for NDPs.

On passing this assessment, HDC has organised a Community Referendum within the Houghton Area, the Parish. If the revised plans are passed at Referendum, they will then move on to become a 'made' NDP, and have legal power within the planning system.

To find out more of the details of the process please go back and view the other pages.