Voters in March go the polls on September 7 - and here’s why the rest of Fenland is excluded

Voters in March get an extra chance to go the ballot box this year following approval for a referendum on a planning document that could revolutionise decision making locally.

The issue before electors will be the March Neighbourhood Plan and if more than 50 per cent agree to it, the document will be used in making planning decisions in the town. It will sit alongside existing Fenland Council policies.

The cabinet of Fenland Council was told there was little they could do about the neighbourhood plan and “if it is considered that the plan meets the basic conditions, it must progress the plan to referendum”.

The poll will take place on September 7.

For some years the town council has progressed the neighbourhood plan before it was subject to external scrutiny by government officials.

Question on the ballot paper will be: “Do you want Fenland District Council to use the neighbourhood plan for the March neighbourhood area to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?”