Examination and Referendum

Following the community consultation, all the written comments received were collated and reported by an independent organisation (Rural Community Council). The NPWP has a duty to consider each comment and produce a documented response for each, while making appropriate modifications to the consultation draft of the NDP.

The resulting document became the "Submission Version" of the NDP which was then submitted to Harborough DC, as the Planning Authority. HDC assessed the Submission draft for compliance with national regulations and its own "Local Plan". They responded to Houghton PC, which considered further minor modifications so the HDC approved the draft.

The revised draft was then submitted to HDC as the "Examination Version" (June 2025). HDC then arranged a formal publication of the "Examination Version" for a further 6 weeks for comments from the community or any other stakeholders. This complies with "Regulation 16" of the NDP procedure. (July – August 2025).

The consultation process closed in September 2025. Details of the arrangement for the consultation and a copy of the response form are available on the links below:

Following the end of the consultation period (September 2025), HDC then appointed an Independent Examiner, to examine the document for its clarity and compliance with planning law. The Independent Examiner produced his report in early November 2025. This report contained a number of recommended changes to the NDP document. There were some corrections of typos and errors on Figures of heritage assets. A substantive change was the designation of the two allocated sites making the eastern site the primary allocation and the western site the reserve site. The full Examiner's report can be read on the link below:

Houghton PC decided unanimously to accept all the recommended changes. The resulting document is termed the "Referendum Version" of the NDP. This copy was submitted to HDC in December 2025, and HDC has organised a referendum for voters within the NDP area, our parish, on Thursday 26th February 2026.

The Referendum is carried out by HDC Electoral Services in a similar way to local elections. Voters may vote "for" or "against" the NDP. If the majority support the NDP then HDC will formally accept the plan, and it becomes part of planning law. The HDC notice of the referendum and an informative flyer published by Houghton PC are available on the links below: