West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin has praised the parish council in Kempsey on their progress to create a blueprint for strategic growth in the village. Kempsey has been working on the development of a neighbourhood plan which sets out the views of what development local people want to see in their village. Each plan undergoes a consultation process and is then voted on in a local referendum. Once a plan is approved locally, Planning Inspectors are obliged to take the neighbourhood plan into account when considering local planning applications. Last year, Harriett ran a special briefing session for local parishes to encourage them to write their own neighbourhood plans. Harriett met with a delegation of local people on Friday (December 5) to talk about local planning issues and she welcomed the progress the villagers have made towards completing the neighbourhood plan. Harriett said: “Kempsey was given a £20,000 Front Runner Government grant to progress its neighbourhood plan and the village will be a trailblazer for other local communities wanting to have a say about future development. “The parish has worked closely with local Councillors Adam Rea and David Harrison and I hope the District Council will support a local referendum soon. “At the moment, all eyes are on the local Planning Inspector and his team to get the South Worcestershire plan finished to help communities head off speculative planning applications. “I have been reassured by the Planning Minister that inspectors must give appropriate weight to the progress made on our local plan and indeed neighbourhood plans and this will help local communities fight speculative development.”