In this article, Claire Milne and John Bastow, joint Chairmen of the Windsor Neighbourhood Plan group (WNP), explain more about the Neighbourhood Plan process.
What is Neighbourhood planning?
You may already have heard of Neighbourhood Planning, which was established under the Localism Act (2011). This gives the local community the right to develop plans which support the strategic development needs set by the local authority’s Local Plan and to shape and direct development in their area which falls outside of the Local Plan. This will include such aspects as:
- Influencing what new homes will be delivered, where they will be located and what they will look like
- the kind of new retail and business development we should have
- issues we care about such as green spaces and the environment
- strengthening the community by suggesting improvements to transport infrastructure, community services, and leisure and recreational facilities.
Neighbourhood Plans cannot stop development, but can help to shape what it will be like. Any NP will complement the Royal Borough of Windsor Maidenhead’s Local Plan for the area.
Below are the stages necessary to create a Neighbourhood Plan.
THE STAGES OF NEIGHBOURHOOD PLANNING
Neighbourhood planning in Windsor
A Neighbourhood Planning Forum was originally established in Windsor in 2012, and local volunteers have been working since then to understand the needs and wishes of people who live, work and run businesses in the area.
You may also know that the former Central Windsor Neighbourhood Plan (CWNP) AGM voted on 7th April 2014 to dissolve the CWNP Forum. This was done with the express intention from many members of the group of reforming as a larger Neighbourhood Plan area to include the two West Windsor wards of Clewer North and Clewer South (who had previously been excluded from the plan area when the CWNP formed), and who had applied to be readmitted through John Holdstock (former chair of WWRA).
You may already have been asked for your views at one of the consultation events held by the former NP groups.
However, the situation then became more complicated when at the same time the Windsor Chamber of Commerce also applied to RBWM for designation for a Central Windsor Business Neighbourhood Plan (separate from the wider Windsor NP) intended to cover the main Town Centre business area only.
This CWBNP, led by the Windsor Chamber of Commerce chair Phil McMichael, came about due to concerns that under current legislation, a “resident led” NP would not allow businesses to vote in the eventual referendum. With a separate Business NP, the legislation does allow businesses, as well as residents of that area, a vote, in the eventual referendum (and there are various safeguards built in to the process to ensure that any subsequent plans are agreed by people from the whole area).
So now two Forums of local people and businesses (one for the Central Windsor Business NP, and one for the remaining Windsor area to be called the Windsor NP) have been formed and started the legal steps necessary to apply to RBWM for new area designations and recognition of the two new Forum Groups.
Both of the proposed NPs have agreed in principle to work co-operatively and in tandem, with the intended result that the two complementary plans for Windsor can be voted on by all the residents in the eventual referenda at the same time.
The RBWM Planning policy department will now put the two NP applications out to the public for a statutory 6 week consultation period, after which they will decide whether to allow the groups to proceed to make NPs for the area.
The RBWM consultation will run until Thursday 7th August 2014. You can see the plans and participate in the consultation on the RBWM website http://www.rbwm.gov.uk/web/pp_neighbourhood_plans.htm, and can email your responses to [email protected].
Despite the delays due to the legal process, interim members from the previous groups have been working hard to ensure that once RBWM has made their decision then any NP can be produced without further delay. It is hoped that the decision will be made by the end of July 2014. If all goes well, the target is (1) to have an Options Document for public consultation by this autumn, (2) to submit draft NPs to the RBWM by Christmas 2014 and (3) to hold a referendum by mid 2015.
Within the WNP Forum, research is continuing about the views of local people on what they want to see in our area. Our survey continues on our website at www.windsorplan.org.uk; or on this direct link; www.surveymonkey.com/s/F7892SK (until 31st July)
Training is being organised for existing and new members and the Topic Groups are continuing to gather evidence for the Plan.
There is still a chance to join the Forum or Topic Groups by applying to us on the email below until the 31st July 2014.
If you would like more information please contact us on [email protected] and look at our website www.windsorplan.org.uk or call or text us on 07917 954492.
With your help we look forward to developing a Neighbourhood Plan that helps to improve Windsor for us all.
Claire Milne & John Bastow Co- Chairs of the WNP Forum
Disclaimer
The views of the writers do not necessarily reflect the views of the WWRA, and no liability can be accepted for any damage caused by the contents of this article, or its publication on the WWRA website, or it’s use by others.