The community of Consett have achieved approval for their neighbourhood forum allowing the community to implement a neighbourhood plan.

Named the Consett Area Neighbourhood Forum, this venture aims to ensure the voices of local people are heard.

The formal establishment of the forum will be celebrated at an event on Sunday, January 14 where there will be a formal voting of committee members. 

An information evening for the forum was hosted on Tuesday, December 19 in Consett, County Durham at The Steel Club to outline the priorities and objectives of the forum as well as to introduce its constitution and to allow those involved to get to know each other.

The Northern Echo: At the event everyone was presented with the forum constitution and a map of the area highlighting

At the event, everyone was presented with a copy of the forum constitution and a map of the area highlighting the boundaries the forum will cover. Many important local issues were discussed such as housing developments, dangerous roads and a lack of amenities.

Everyone in attendance also received a consultation document which allowed for individual input on the top priorities, with space to share ideas on how members of the public want to be involved.

At the information evening Christine Thomas, a founding member of the Consett Area Neighbourhood Forum said: “Consett has been missing out on community initiatives and funding because we don’t have anything official like a town or parish council in place to deal with it.

“Having the forum will mean we can have access to funding we might’ve once missed out on.”

The Consett Area Neighbourhood Forum has support from local MP Richard Holden, but it stresses that the forum will be an apolitical body. 

With over 80 locals signed up to be members of the forum and a website in the making, it won’t be long before Consett Area Neighbourhood Forum is in full swing.

The forum has already received a grant from Locality to aid consultancy and set up process for the forum and neighbourhood plan.

The Northern Echo: Consett Area Neighbourhood Forum aims to ensure the voices of local people are heard

The creation of the forum came to fruition after development company Project Genesis Ltd. submitted a proposal for an energy from waste facility to be built on Hownsgill Industrial Estate, near Consett’s town centre.

The proposal created widespread anger in the community leading to over 4,000 objection signatures and the creation of the Say No to Consett Incinerator campaign which has fought against its construction.

In developing an action plan to oppose the incinerator proposal, an abundance of knowledge about the area and on planning law was gathered, and those on the Say No to the Consett Incinerator campaign committee wanted to use that knowledge to further benefit the area.

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Christine Thomas, said: “I had underestimated how exposed the town was, we aren’t in a town council and we aren’t in a parish council so there’s no one looking out for us and having to fight the incinerator campaign has shown the community how vulnerable we are.

“The developers in the area have been able to take control, we need more amenities, spaces for young people, community spaces need to be renovated, there’s so much we can do – and we are far stronger if we can do this together.”

However the forum also stresses that it isn't anti-development, it hopes to champion businesses and find developments that will fit the wants and needs of local people.  

All members of the community are welcome to attend the formal establishment of the forum on Sunday, January 14. The event location is still to be confirmed. 

For more information, you can contact cthcanforum@gmail.com