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As part of successive Governments’ ‘Big Society’ agenda, local communities are being given the opportunity to develop a Neighbourhood Plan. Although the Government’s intention is for local people to decide what goes on in their Neighbourhood Plan area, the Localism Act of 2011 sets out some important relevant laws. One of these is that all Neighbourhood Plans must be in line with higher-level planning policy. That is, Neighbourhood Plans must be in line with the National Planning Policy Framework (otherwise known as the NPPF) and local policy. In 2013 the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead designated a Neighbourhood Area for the Parishes of Horton and Wraysbury to enable the Parish Councils and residents to prepare jointly the Neighbourhood Plan. This plan gives our communities direct power to develop a shared vision for our neighbourhood and to shape the development and growth of our villages for the next fifteen years. The Plan may be updated from time to time and can be reviewed should there be major developments in our area. This is very necessary given issues which directly affect our villages, including developments at Heathrow Airport and the River Thames Scheme. We recognise the constraints we are under in producing this Plan, given the amount of protected Green Belt and the areas liable to flooding. This means that it is unlikely that large amounts of land will become available. However, both Parish Councils wish, within these parameters, to maintain the distinctive characters of both villages, whilst promoting two vibrant communities. Many residents have attended consultation events and the response to our initial questionnaire was high. We are grateful for the interest of all sections of our communities who have expressed their individual and collective concerns and some amendments have been made to the original draft, as appropriate, to reflect commonly held views. I am grateful to all those who contributed to this Plan and to all who are or who have been members of the Steering Group who have met regularly and worked so hard to achieve this document. Margaret Lenton (Chairman of the Horton and Wraysbury Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group) |