2.1 Neighbourhood Plans must be prepared in line with national guidance and legislation including the Localism Act (2011), the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations (2012, as updated in 2015 and 2016), the Neighbourhood Planning Act (2017), the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) (2024) and Planning Practice Guidance Planning Practice Guidance (PPG).
2.2 Neighbourhood Plans must be in general conformity with the strategic policies of the development plan. The development plan for Cookham Parish consists of the Borough Local Plan adopted in February 2022, Minerals and Waste Plans, and South East Plan Policy NRM6 (Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area).
2.3 The Local Plan establishes the overarching framework for future growth and development in the Royal Borough and includes policies of a strategic nature which the Neighbourhood Plan should be in conformity with. Strategic policies are those which include matters such as the overall quantum and distribution of new development in the Royal Borough.
2.4 Once ‘made’ the Neighbourhood Plan will play an integral role in setting out the non-strategic policies for the Parish that will be used to determine planning applications in the Plan area. Non-strategic policies are those which are more specific to the local context and which provide more detail or information on the application of strategic policies in Cookham. They also include, as appropriate, new policies that respond to Parish-specific issues where the Local Plan is silent on these. As the most up-to-date set of policies for Cookham, it is these that will be used to inform and determine planning applications in the Plan area.
2.5 The Neighbourhood Plan has been drafted to cover the period up to 2038. The first part of the Plan period (up to 2033), is aligned with the period covered by the adopted Local Plan and, as far as is relevant, refers to and utilises technical evidence prepared in support of that, all of which can be accessed via the RBWM website. The Neighbourhood Plan period has been extended for a further five years beyond the Local Plan, building longevity into the Neighbourhood Plan but also allowing for regular reviews as appropriate in line with updates and reviews of the Local Plan.
2.6 This Neighbourhood Plan is set in the context of the ‘Environment and Climate Emergency’ declared by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in June 2019. Subsequently, an Environment and Climate Strategy was developed and approved in December 2020. The Environment and Climate Strategy sets out the Council's vision and actions to achieve the Borough's net-zero carbon emissions target by 2050. The Strategy focuses on four key themes:
2.7 In addition, the Environment Act received Royal Assent in November 2021 and introduces legislation that seeks to improve air and water quality, tackle waste, increase recycling, halt the decline of species, and improve the natural environment.
2.8 Within the context of the Environment Act and the parameters of planning legislation and Building Regulations, the Neighbourhood Plan includes policies and projects that seek to respond to the challenge of climate change. This includes support for energy-efficient building design and construction, renewable energy generation, encouragement for short journeys to be made by foot, bicycle, or public transport, integrating flood management and mitigation into development, and protecting and enhancing biodiversity.
2.9 As planning policy, at both the national and borough level, is updated in response to the Environment Act and other Government initiatives, opportunities will be taken to review and update the Neighbourhood Plan.
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