3. Cookham Parish ‘Tomorrow’

Consultation Messages

3.1 A range of consultation exercises were undertaken to inform the focus and content of the Neighbourhood Plan. These included surveys, exhibitions, workshops and outreach with various local groups and organisations. A poster competition was also run for primary age school children in the Parish, with the messages from that helping to inform areas of concern and aspirations for the future. The consultation exercises suggested that:

There is a strong sense of community and that ‘village life’ and identity should be retained and strengthened. Strengthening village life extends to include the need to provide a mix of facilities for all ages, as well as local shops and services that cater for everyday needs.
The unique and distinctive qualities of the area, as reflected in the landscape setting and built form, and depicted in the paintings of Sir Stanley Spencer RA (see also sections 6.7 to 6.16), should be retained for the benefit and enjoyment of all, including future generations.
There are concerns about the scale and impact of new development, and that where this does take place, it should respond to local character.
Efforts should be made to respond to the challenges of climate change, supporting local wildlife and biodiversity.
There are concerns about the volume of traffic, speed and congestion across the area, particularly so along The Pound and Dean Lane where there are concerns about the safety of people walking and cycling, but also reflected in issues related to parking provision.
There are concerns about the ability of the existing infrastructure to cope with increased pressure from a growing population, for example, in respect of the road network and the Medical Centre.
Efforts should be made to maintain Cookham’s distinct identity, both between the three settlements and as a whole against Maidenhead to the south.

3.2 Some of the matters outlined above are addressed through planning policies in place at the national and borough level. It is not for the Neighbourhood Plan to repeat these as they are used to help inform and determine planning applications in the area. Instead, the Neighbourhood Plan develops these further as appropriate to reflect local matters and, although some of the issues outlined above are not strictly ‘land-use planning policy’ matters, they do reflect the community’s concerns and hopes for the area and are embedded in this Neighbourhood Plan through a combination of the vision and supporting projects contained in the Appendix.

Vision

3.3 The vision for the Plan area has been informed through consultation and establishes the community’s aspirations for the future of the area. The vision for the period through to 2038 is:

Cookham Parish will continue to be a thriving and vibrant community whose character, rich heritage and natural assets are protected and enhanced in their rural setting separate from Maidenhead, and where the Parish and individual neighbourhoods benefit from a distinct identity of their own.

Already well renowned for its relationship with Stanley Spencer, its rich landscape, wildlife habitats and biodiversity will be strengthened and form an accessible network of connected green and blue routes around the parish and between the three settlements.

All development in the parish will embody the highest principles of sustainability and help make it a better place in which to live, work or visit. The sense of identity and village life will be strengthened, with a wide range of local businesses and community facilities catering for the needs of all.

Sustainable and active travel measures will make it safer and easier for all to move around the Parish and to neighbouring areas, with traffic congestion and speed reduction supported by a move towards net-zero carbon transport solutions.

Objectives

3.4 The objectives presented below build upon the vision and provide a framework for policies in the Neighbourhood Plan:

Objective 1: To ensure that any new development is well-designed and of a high quality, adheres to the highest principles of sustainability and reflects the best qualities of the local character.
Objective 2: To conserve and enhance the natural environment, biodiversity and important wildlife habitats.
Objective 3: To retain the rural setting and individual identities of Cookham Village, Cookham Rise and Cookham Dean, separate from each other and above all from Maidenhead, providing opportunities for all to enjoy and benefit from access to the countryside.
Objective 4: To provide and enhance facilities that maintain and develop the health and well-being of the community.
Objective 5: To minimise local traffic impacts and improve opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to walk and cycle.

3.5 The policies, and projects, within this Neighbourhood Plan intend to deliver on the vision and objectives outlined above. Sections 4 - 8 of the Neighbourhood Plan present these, ordered in response to the objectives.

3.6 It is important that the Neighbourhood Plan is read as a whole. All policies should be viewed together in the preparation and consideration of planning applications.

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