Claire Milne
Windsor Neighbourhood Plan
Co-chair
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Our priority outcome at this stage was to
create the Vision, objectives and likely policy
approaches for our area of Windsor.
Understanding the process - Planning Aid
workshops: Writing an NP Policy & Strategic
Environmental Appraisal, Character
Assessment workshop, Vision workshop.
How to structure the analysis.
We have learned lots! This is some of it....
Evidence
gathering
Research
and fact
finding
Community
engagement
Identify
issues and
options
Create vision
Objective
Objective
Objective
Policies and
proposals
Policies and
proposals
Policies and
proposals
Reasoned
justification
Reasoned
justification
Reasoned
justification
Source: Planning Aid
3
“During the Hearing, Thame Town Council
emphasised that the vision and objectives
reflected the views of the community,
derived from the consultation process. I
note that there is a clear link between the
objectives and the policies and that this is
carried through the whole of the plan”
Nigel McGurk – Thame Examination Report
Source :Planning Aid
• National Planning Policy Framework
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Adopted Local Plan
◦ 1. The RBWM adopted Local Plan 2003 - saved policies
only.
Not all of these are strategic or relevant to our NP.
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Emerging Local Plan
◦ BLP Preferred options 1st Consultation Jan 2014/2nd
Consultation expected in early 2015
◦ Site Specific Allocations – options consultation Jan 2014
and any changes in the 2nd consultation
Adapted from Planning Aid Source
5
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2012 to 2014 WENP,CWNP & WNP surveys
Including post it surveys, launches, vision day
& CWNP/WNP Survey monkey survey
Including our own consultation on the
Borough Local Plan Preferred options sites
Ad hoc business community and other
community group comments
Main issues for the WNP area of Windsor:
 Parking
 Traffic congestion
 Historic buildings & preservation of character and
heritage
 Appearance and architecture of the town
 Access to and facilities of open spaces
 Helping small/start up business
 Loss of employment sites
 Loss of types of shops
 Cycling routes and facilities
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Strengthen protection for
remaining and important
heritage buildings
Encourage new
development to have
regard to nature and
character
Improve the visual
impression of the town
through improved quality
of architecture and views
Improve & maintain
amenities and
community facilities for
resident
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Create a heart for West
Windsor
Seek ways to reduce
congestion
Seek ways to improve
parking availability
Improve open spaces
facilities and accessibility
Encourage diversity of
retail businesses within
the suburbs
Seek ways to encourage
small and start up
businesses
And lots more!
Area SWOT analysis
 Strengths/Weaknesses/Opportunities/Threats
analysis of different areas of Windsor
 This process illuminates issues, likely threats,
weaknesses or different areas of Windsor.
 Thereby helps to think about likely NP
objectives and opportunities for NP policies
and possible sites for development not in the
adopted Local Plan or emerging BLP.
 SWOT extract handout
 Summary SWOT will capture all of the issues
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Need to understand what is possible in terms
of planning policy
Many things identified are outside the scope
of NPs. (e.g. some Transport issues)
It may be possible to initiate projects in
conjunction with other stakeholders
Looked at examples from other NPs (Ascot,
Thame, Norland, Arundel, Woodcote etc)
Lots of helpful templates from Planning Aid
See “Writing a Neighbourhood Plan policy”
Writing a Neighbourhood Plan policy example
What is the
comment from the
community
engagement,
weakness or
opportunity
/ what is the real
issue?
Can it be
addressed by
Comment: Too
a) Business &
retail Use
classes are
relevant here.
May be able
to use Article
4 powers to
modify
permitted
development
rights change
of use.
many coffee
shops, betting
shops, fast food
outlets/loss of
banks
Issue: Loss of
balance between
types of retail
provision/loss
of essential
shops and
community
facilities
Objective: To
retain a balance
of retail uses of
retail premises
and
neighbourhood
shopping
amenities
Planning
policy
Is there an existing
planning policy
relevant to this issue?
Policy wording
Justification/
Evidence
Adopted Local Plan
policies
S7-Local shopping
parades
S8-Corner shops
village stores
S5-Major retail
developments
should be in the
town centre.
Emerging BLP
policies RET4
Support community
shops
Require appropriate
marketing evidence
for change of use
from shops to
other uses.
The change of use
of premises used
for A1 purposes
to A2, A3, A4, A5
uses will be
supported
provided that the
change of use
would not result
in significant
harmful impacts
on the amenities
of neighbouring
residents”
b) The NP will
nominate “Assets
of Community
Value”.
The existing
numbers of
particular use
classes in the
specific area–
e.g. We have
counted the
number of
shop fronts of
different
types/use
classes along
Dedworth Road
(A1, A2, A3 etc
) to get data
to use as
evidence for
future
proposed
changes.
Othe
r
b) Can create
an “Assets of
Community
Value list” in
the NP.
Writing a Neighbourhood Plan policy example
What is the
comment
from
community
engagement/
what is the
real
Issue?
Comment “Stop
knocking down
old buildings”
Issue: Loss of
heritage
buildings that
define the sense
of place
Objective:
preserve the
authentic
character of the
streets/concerns
about design.
Can it be
addressed by
Plannin
g policy
Other?
Yes.
Conservation
Appraisal has
local list but this
is not extensive
and misses
many buildings
considered
important by
local people.
Is there an
existing
planning
policy relevant
to this issue?
Policy wording
Justification &
Evidence
Yes. but
existing policies
don’t cover
buildings not in
conservation
areas or of
national listing
quality. But we
can add to the
local list of nonlisted heritage
buildings, and
put conservation
policy in our NP
to give it more
legal weight.
Townscape
assessments
relevant.
“The NP will
develop a local
list of non-listed
heritage
buildings”.
“Development
affecting
heritage assets
must pay special
regard to the
need to
conserve and
enhance their
setting and any
special
architectural or
historic features
of significance”
(Exeter St
James).
Conservation
Area Appraisal.
List of
significant
buildings lost
over the last 10
years. Photos.
Criteria for local
listing.
Townscape
assessments
Writing a Neighbourhood Plan policy example
What is the
comment
from
community
engagement/
what is the
real
Issue?
Can it be
addressed by
Comments:
Decrease road
congestion
Not directly,
maybe
indirectly.
Increasing
volume of North
South through
traffic, peak
Legoland traffic,
town centre
traffic.
Objective:
Consider ways
to improve road
congestion
RBWM strategic
& spatial
planning e.g.
Park and Ride,
new roads, new
bus or rail
facilities.
Issue:
Plannin
g
policy
Other?
Is there an
existing
planning
policy relevant
to this issue?
Policy wording
Justification &
Evidence
Major
employment
developments
are strategic and
covered in the
adopted Local
Plan and
emerging BLP.
Project –better
highways
management
“To work with
RBWM highways
management
department and
any other
interested
stakeholders to
find ways of
improving traffic
congestion and
parking
availability in
our area” (Ascot
NP)
Traffic statistics,
traffic impact
assessments.
WNP can work
on projects with
other
stakeholders to
deal with these
issues, and find
indirect ways to
alleviate them.
Transport
working group
set up.
Evidence
gathering
Research
and fact
finding
Community
engagement
Identify
issues and
options
SWOTs
Area Character
assessments
Other NPs
for examples
Create vision
Objective
Objective
Objective
Policies and
proposals
Policies and
proposals
Policies and
proposals
Reasoned
justification
Reasoned
justification
Reasoned
justification
15
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To go to all households and businesses in our
area.
Have we got the vision, objectives and policy
approaches right?
Do we need to change them?
Gives us chance to revisit our Vision,
objectives and refine our policy approaches
and wording before we finalise the Draft Plan.
Thank you