Challenges for Shepton Mallet

The Neighbourhood Plan seeks to address, as far as is possible, the challenges that face the community of Shepton Mallet. In summary these challenges are:

1. Ensuring strategic developments identified in the Mendip Local Plan are integrated into the existing community of Shepton Mallet so they do not function as separate from the existing communities.
2. Ensuring the strategic developments do not look and feel like ‘bolt-ons’ to the existing community by embracing the best examples of local design and layout.
3. Recognising that alternatives to the private car as a means of travel, need to be provided for and their use encouraged, particularly in relation to walking and cycling.
4. Ensuring the growth in population arising from new development does not put an unacceptable strain on existing community infrastructure; Instead, new development should, where necessary, contribute to the expansion of community infrastructure to address needs.
5. Protecting the significant green spaces, views and biodiversity assets in the neighbourhood area, provide new green and blue infrastructure and provide new accessible green space for the growing population.