4. What the Plan aims to achieve

Should the Neighbourhood Plan be ‘made’, it would become part of the Development Plan for the Borough. The policies in the Plan must support the NPPF’s “presumption in favour of sustainable development” and also be in general conformity with the Borough’s strategic policies. However, if there is a conflict with existing non-strategic policies in the Borough’s Local Plan, the Neighbourhood Plan policies will take precedence. This is the first time that communities have had the opportunity to create planning policies with this degree of formal weight.

When a planning application is submitted to RBWM, the Borough Planning Officers will be required to refer to the Neighbourhood Plan (alongside the Borough’s own Local Plan) and check whether the proposed development is in keeping with the policies the community has developed. In planning terms therefore, the policies set out in Sections 6, 7 and 8 of this document are the most important part of the Plan.

There are some restrictions to what Neighbourhood Plans can achieve. For example:

They cannot promote less development than is set out in the Local Plan
They cannot override national Green Belt policy or re-draw Green Belt boundaries
They deal essentially with spatial issues such as the where, what and how of what can be built; they cannot address enforcement issues such as parking regulations or enforcement of Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs)
While service issues such as the funding of a bus route are not spatial, NPs can encourage funding for these through developer contributions

During the preparation of the Plan, a number of initiatives (“Projects”) were proposed by local people for the improvement of our area, that are outside the specific remit of a Neighbourhood Plan. While these Projects may not have planning weight, they are included in Section 9 of this Plan to provide a focus for community action.

We propose to drive these Projects forward over the coming years through community action in partnership with the Borough, the Parish Councils and/or other appropriate partners.

It is the aim of the Ascot, Sunninghill and Sunningdale Neighbourhood Plan to set out policies for the years up to 2026 that will ensure that our area develops and grows in a way that is sustainable economically, socially and environmentally, and which enhances and improves the communities we live in. We wish that local residents in 2026 should enjoy living here at least as much as we all do currently, share the same strong sense of community and feel as passionate about its future as we do.

The main aims of our Neighbourhood Plan, which were included in our Vision statement and have received strong support in community consultations, are:

To protect the green and leafy appearance of our surroundings and the distinct character of our villages.
To maintain the separation between our villages, avoiding the creep of urban sprawl.
To encourage and facilitate a redevelopment of the centre of Ascot and its High Street, to deliver a more viable, attractive shopping centre, a vibrant and successful evening economy and desired community facilities.
To sensitively develop the area around the retail centre of Sunningdale to improve its future economic viability and deliver additional parking capacity and community amenities.
To preserve and enhance the character of Sunninghill village centre.
To meet new housing demand in a way that is sympathetic to the area, that ensures that the right type of housing is built in the right locations, and that a mix of housing types is delivered, to especially include family homes that are affordable by a wide section of the population.
To minimise the impact of development on the natural and built environment.
To protect the biodiversity of our area, our local wildlife and its habitat and our trees.
To create through the planning system an environment that makes it attractive for micro, small and medium-sized businesses and shops to locate and flourish in the area.
To retain the sites in our area which currently provide jobs in their present use and provide sustainable employment opportunities for those who live within and outside it.
To seek ways of addressing the problems of traffic congestion on our roads and the lack of parking.
To ensure our roads and streets provide safer and more accessible routes, better balancing the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.
To ensure all residents have easy access to community facilities and community green, open spaces for leisure and recreation.

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