Make the case.
Respect the people.

Purpose and participation

Blackawton Planning is an independent resident campaign opposing Acorn’s proposed development above French Furze. Nick Lawton operates the website and forum. We welcome respectful contributions from people who support the proposal, oppose it or are undecided, and consider evidence of benefits alongside concerns.

Relevant contributions may be reviewed, compiled and summarised for the evidence website and a formal planning objection. Posting does not automatically send anything to Acorn or the council, make you a supporter or signatory, or authorise us to speak in your name. Read how to make your own representation and our privacy notice.

Decisions depend on planning policies and relevant evidence. Membership, likes, replies and survey totals do not decide permission. Publication or moderator approval does not certify a claim as true.

The community rules

1. Discuss evidence and impacts. Challenge ideas respectfully. No personal attacks, harassment, threats, discriminatory abuse or speculation presented as fact about people’s motives.
2. Make claims checkable. Give dates and public sources. Distinguish what you observed, what someone reported and your interpretation. Explain uncertainty and include relevant contrary evidence.
3. Protect privacy. Treat posts as public. Leave out precise home addresses, personal contact details, health information, confidential correspondence and identifying information about others. Check images and links before sharing.
4. Share only what you may share. Respect copyright and confidentiality. Link public documents and use your own summary where possible. Possessing a copy does not necessarily give permission to upload it.
5. Keep discussion useful. Choose the closest category and a clear title. Add to existing discussions where appropriate. Avoid spam, duplicates, impersonation and unrelated disputes.
6. Help correct mistakes. Give the statement, correction and supporting source. Use the forum’s flag tool or contact Nick about conduct or privacy problems rather than escalating an argument.

Moderation and corrections

First posts from new forum members are held for moderator review. Later posts are not necessarily checked before publication. Moderators may move, edit, hide or remove material that breaches these rules and may restrict an account. The same conduct standard applies to every viewpoint.

Discourse may also apply security and abuse checks. If you think a contribution was handled incorrectly, email nick@seadogs.dev with the topic link and explanation. The forum is not monitored continuously and is not an emergency-reporting service.

Vistry’s existing remedy is handled through quarterly Vistry–French Furze meetings. Discuss it here where it helps assess Acorn’s additional proposal, including capacity, reliance on works, timing and construction overlap.

Using contributions fairly

You remain responsible for what you post. The campaign normally uses checked summaries omitting unnecessary personal details and links to public sources. We will ask permission before reusing an exact quotation or identifiable personal account. A sharing acknowledgment explains intended use; it is not blanket consent.

Relevant contrary views and qualifications will not be stripped out to make a stronger claim than the evidence supports. Contributions may be corrected or left out if unsupported or if they raise privacy concerns.

Discourse accounts and terms

Public discussions can be read without an account. Posting requires Discourse ID and is subject to the Discourse ID User Terms, including its adult eligibility requirement, and these community rules. Review the terms yourself when signing up.

The provider’s terms govern its platform relationship with you; these guidelines explain participation in this campaign. Read our privacy notice and Discourse privacy information for their different roles.

This project does not promise a planning outcome, verification of every contribution, uninterrupted access or automatic representation of contributors. Material changes to these rules will be dated.