The council is due to decide on 9 December whether Knaresborough's plan goes to a referendum. A law change reopened the examination after January's report.

North Yorkshire Council is due to decide on 9 December whether Knaresborough’s neighbourhood plan can go to a public vote. The date appears in the council’s latest forward plan, published on 30 October.

Knaresborough has been working towards this for more than 13 years. Its neighbourhood area was designated on 1 May 2013.

The plan appeared to have cleared its last big hurdle in January. The independent examiner recommended a referendum, subject to changes, but the rules then moved.

Why it went back

New legal tests for neighbourhood plans came into force on 25 March 2026. The examination therefore had to be reopened. The steps since then:

  • 20 July: the town council set out how the plan meets the new tests
  • 14 August to 1 September: the public was consulted again
  • 6 October: the examiner reopened the examination to write a further report
  • By 12 October: the town council’s response to the comments had gone to the examiner
  • 9 December: decision due from the Deputy Leader, who is also Executive Member for Open to Business

The council’s plan page did not show the examiner’s further report when we checked on 5 November. Forward plan dates can move, so 9 December is not guaranteed.

What the plan would do

The plan runs to 2035. It does not allocate land for housing, so it would not decide where new estates go. It would shape how applications are judged instead.

The policies examined in January include:

  • local green spaces and green corridors
  • conservation of the Nidd Gorge
  • flood prevention
  • town centre car parking
  • shop front design and empty properties
  • protection of community facilities
  • support for the High Street

The examiner recommended changes and the council decides which to make, so the final wording may differ.

What it means for you

  • There is nothing to do today. The re-consultation closed on 1 September.
  • If the plan goes forward, voters in the town council area would be asked to approve it. The January report said the vote should cover the plan area only.
  • If more than half of those voting say yes, it gets full weight in planning decisions in Knaresborough, unless the council later decides it should not be made.