1.1.1 The Borough Local Plan (BLP) is the key document that provides the framework to guide the future development of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. It sets out a spatial strategy and policies for managing development and infrastructure to meet the environmental, social and economic opportunities and challenges facing the area up to 2033. The Plan not only looks at the scale and distribution of development, but also explains how the Council and its partners will deliver it in a sustainable manner that maintains and enhances the quality of the places that make up the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.
1.1.2 The BLP will be used to make decisions on planning applications. It also forms the strategic framework for Neighbourhood Plans with more detailed guidance to be provided in the form of Supplementary Planning Documents.
1.2.1 The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (and amendments in Subsequent Acts) sets out therequirements and consultation processes needed to produce a Local Plan. The Council is also required to havefollowed the processes outlined within the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012.
1.2.2 The BLP must also be consistent with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF, 2012). The NPPF requires that the presumption in favour of sustainable development should be seen as a golden thread running through the BLP. In particular the BLP should be seeking positively to meet the development needsof the Borough, encourage sustainable growth and development, and maintain and enhance the natural andbuilt environments. The Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) provides further clarity about national policy andits implementation.
1.2.3 The BLP followed a process of plan making which included
The preparation of the BLP included a series of public consultations at each of the main stages described above.
1.3.1 Local plans are required to be based on adequate, up to date and relevant evidence about the social, economic and environmental characteristics and prospects of the area. A comprehensive evidence base was developed alongside the BLP to support the policies within it. The evidence base for the BLP is available for reference on the Council website at: www.rbwm.gov.uk/blp
1.3.2 The BLP was accompanied by a Sustainability Appraisal and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SA/SEA) that considered the impact of the policies on the community, the economy and the environment. The Council also undertook a Habitat Regulation Assessment (HRA) which assessed the likely impacts of BLP policies on the integrity of internationally designated nature sites.
1.4.1 The BLP must take account of relevant national guidance, policy and legislation. The BLP does not repeat national policy but aims to explain how the policy has been applied in the local context.
1.4.2 At the time of adoption, in addition to this BLP, the statutory development plan for the Royal Borough comprises:
1.4.3 The BLP supersedes the saved policies of the 1999 Local Plan and the Maidenhead Town Centre Area Action Plan.
1.5.1 The Local Plan sets out an up-to-date framework for local communities who are preparing Neighbourhood Plans. A Neighbourhood Plan is a community-led development framework, which in combination with a Local Plan will help guide the future development of local places. Neighbourhood planning offers a formal opportunity to add real value to the planning process by setting out community aspirations for a specific area in the Borough
1.5.2 Neighbourhood Plans must be consistent with national policies and the strategic policies of the Local Plan. The strategic policies in this BLP are clearly marked in the List of Policies in Chapter 2. In general, ‘strategic policies’ are those that set out an overarching direction or objective, shape the broad characteristics of development, operate at a borough-wide scale or set requirements essential to achieving the wider vision in the BLP. It is these policies that will specifically guide the production of Neighbourhood Plans across the Borough.
1.5.3 Other policies in the BLP are not considered to be strategic, but it is expected that Neighbourhood Plans would also have general regard to these non-strategic policies in helping to formulate their plans.
1.6.1 Section 110 of the Localism Act 2011 sets out the ‘Duty to Cooperate’ which is a legal duty under a new Section 33A in the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 requiring local planning authorities to cooperate on strategic cross boundary matters. The Duty applies to all local planning authorities in England and informs the plan making process.
1.6.2 The Duty relates to sustainable development or use of land that would have a significant impact on at least two local planning areas and requires:
1.6.3 The Duty to Cooperate is an ongoing task involving collaborative joint working with other bodies on areas of common interest. The Council is actively engaged in contributing to the Duty to Cooperate process which has included initiatives such as:
This process has helped steer and inform policy development and the development of an appropriate evidence base for the BLP.
1.6.4 It is important to recognise that Duty to Cooperate is a continuous process of reviewing policy and accompanying justification and the potential impacts of policy on neighbouring authorities and agencies. The Duty continues throughout all stages of the plan making process.
1.6.5 A Duty to Cooperate Compliance Statement accompanied the pre-submission document and was updated when it was submitted to the Secretary of State with the BLP and other supporting documents. The Statement sets out the bodies engaged under the Duty during the preparation of the BLP, the strategic issues that have been given consideration, and the outcomes that have affected policy preparation
1.7.1 It is important to assess whether the BLP is meeting its aims and objectives. It is also important to have appropriate mechanisms in place to enable us to take action if the Plan is not meeting its aims and objectives. To help achieve this, we have included a series of monitoring indicators.
1.7.2 Where policies are failing to deliver the strategic objectives of this Plan, necessary actions will be identified in the Council’s Authority Monitoring Report (AMR). This may include an early review of the BLP.
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