What is ‘Our Marple Plan’

Under the Localism Act 2011 local communities were invited to make what were called Neighbourhood Plans. Since 2016, Marple Neighbourhood Forum, a group of local volunteers, has been putting together a plan for how the town can develop, consulting local people and businesses along the way. If approved, the Plan will be incorporated into SMBC’s Planning Regulatory Framework for the town.

WE NEED YOUR HELP

It is time for the Plan to be put out to formal public consultation. It is easy to contribute and there are just 2 simple steps:

1. Find out what is in the plan…

• Read our brief overview of the consultation process and how to comment
• Read a hard-copy of the plan at Marple Library, or download a copy
• Attend one of the drop-in sessions in Marple Library on:
   
      – Thursday 2 December 7pm-8.30pm
      – Tuesday 7 December 10am-12noon
      – Saturday 11 December 10am-1pm

2. …then complete our online response form or pick up a hard-copy Response Form at Marple Library

The purpose of the Marple Neighbourhood Plan is to give the people of Marple the ability to shape the future development of the town. We are now in the fifth and, hopefully, final year of the planning process. Our earlier work in 2017/18 developed a set of goals and objectives based on the widespread input of Marple residents and associations. Marple is a great place to live so, not surprisingly, a strong feature of the Plan is to protect and preserve what we have. But also, our discussions with residents repeatedly raised issues of road congestion and safety and the tired state of the town centre. And we’ve also seen the closure of the swimming pool and, more recently, the gym.

Developing the Plan has been a long and challenging process. All involved are volunteers and all but a few have little experience of technical planning. But we’ve stuck to the task and with help from the Planning department of Stockport Council we’ve reached the final stages of policy drafting. Take a look at our current draft (which you can download below). We hope you find it a document that does credit to our town, and that will ultimately benefit its future development.

So what’s happening in 2021?

1. A Transport Study of Marple is in its final stages and, once completed, we’ll be incorporating the outcomes in our Town Centre and Getting Around policies. Our aim is for this study and the plans that follow from it to give momentum to a much needed upgrade of our town centre.
2. We are working, along with other Marple groups, with Stockport Council to finalise plans for a new Community Hub, including a new pool and gym facilities, located in the Memorial Park. This exciting project is a ‘once in a generation’ opportunity for Marple to develop a first rate community facility.
3. We will be finalising our policies prior to a formal public consultation later in the year. After this, the plan is submitted to an examiner and, once acceptable, will be handed over to Stockport Council to hold a public referendum. The referendum enables Marple residents to decide whether or not to support the Plan. Currently, of course, it’s hard to predict when any referendum would be able to take place.

While the plan is important for our town we know there is a bigger picture. Covid-19 has massively disrupted our lives, and it’s likely that the return to normality will be a gradual process. Marple has responded wonderfully to this crisis and we see 2021 as an opportunity to capitalise on the even stronger community bonds that have been our response to the pandemic. It’s an opportunity to support each other and to support our much cherished local businesses and facilities.

We also have to consider the future impact of climate change and ask the question ‘what can a small town on the edge of the Peak District do to contribute to the solution?’ How can we make a difference?

To conclude, this plan is about shaping Marple for the next 10 and 20 years. It’s about providing an environment for our families and young people that will enable them to live safely, healthily and happily. It’s about vibrancy, an inclusive town that has energy, imagination and a welcome for visitors. We hope that Our Marple Plan makes a difference in achieving these aspirations.

If you have any comments or ideas we very much welcome all feedback.

OCTOBER 2021 UPDATE

We are very pleased to report that we have recently submitted our final draft and all the associated documentation to Stockport Council. After much hard work from the Forum committee and our topic teams we can now move forward to the remaining stages of the approval process. The next step is a formal public consultation after which there will be an independent examination. If all goes well that should lead to a local referendum in the new year.

There is still time for public comment and feedback to influence the draft via the consultation process, and there will no doubt be some recommendations from the examiner. However, this is a significant milestone and our thanks go out to all the many contributors. The final draft is available for viewing or download on the link below.

Marple Neighbourhood Plan

Here’s a link to our latest draft – it’s still a work in progress so you’ll see a few ‘editor’s comments’ here and there and we’ll be upgrading some of the images soon. In terms of content there’s still some refining of policies to be done especially once the current Transport Study completes its work, but we’re getting towards the end of the process. We hope you enjoy reading it and welcome any and all feedback. There’s still time to make adjustments before we start the formal consultation period later this year

View or download your copy

Marple Heritage and Character Assessment
November 2018

A summary of the history and character of Marple, which lies within the Borough of Stockport.
It has been prepared by consultants at AECOM on behalf of Locality, working closely with the
Marple Neighbourhood Forum and is based on a detailed appraisal of the area
carried out through desk study and fieldwork.

View or download your copy

Marple Neighbourhood Forum – First Annual General Meeting Held at 10 a.m. on 14 January 2017 in Marple URC

Click to download First AGM Minutes

Open Debate: That Marple is and Should Remain a Village Held at the AGM – here are the ‘In Favour’ and ‘Opposing’ opening speeches

Click to download the Speeches

Market Stall Report: Have your say An update to download

Click to download the Update

Marple Neighbourhood Forum – NEWSLETTERS Download our latest Newsletters here

Click to download Newsletters

Report On Protecting Our Environment Commissioned from the Cheshire Wildlife Trust – Download here

Click to download Report

Click to download our Newsletters

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Short History of The Marple Neighbourhood Plan

Click to download Short History of The Marple Neighbourhood Plan

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