Claire Milne Windsor Neighbourhood Plan Co-chair Writing policies for the Windsor Neighbourhood Plan Feedback from a recent workshop or two Claire Milne Windsor Neighbourhood Plan Co-chair

Recent WNP activities 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....

Source: Planning Aid Evidence gathering Community engagement Research and fact finding Identify issues and options Create vision Objective Objective Objective Policies and proposals This diagram hopes to show how the evidence gathered will be used to create the vision and objectives. Here we The vision we create will be for the plan period. It will be a statement showing how we see the area develop over this timeframe The objectives will be more detailed and show different areas that need addressing in order for us to reach our vsion. Below each objective will sit our policies. Some objectives may not be purely achieved by policies and so we may also come up with projects. Policies and proposals Policies and proposals Reasoned justification Reasoned justification Reasoned justification Source: Planning Aid

What the examiners are saying: “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 There are 7 Neighbourhood Plans that have gone through examination (Upper Eden, Thame, Exeter St James, Tattenhall, LynPlan, Broughton Astley and Norland) you may want to suggest the group look at these examples along with the examiner reports. The independent examiners sometimes comment on the process. This quote shows how the objectives for the plan should reflect the views of the community. Our objectives will form the backbone of our plan, and the policies we look at writing will come out of our objective, it is really important to get this stage right!

Understanding the Strategic Policy Context National Planning Policy Framework Adopted Local Plan 1. The RBWM adopted Local Plan 2003 - saved policies only. Not all of these are strategic or relevant to our NP. 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

Towards a Vision.... Community Consultation 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

Towards a Vision.....What the community told us. 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

Towards a Vision-aims/objectives 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 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!

Towards a Vision-A structured SWOT analysis. 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

Towards a Vision-writing policies 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 Is there an existing planning policy relevant to this issue? Policy wording Justification/ Evidence Planning policy Other Comment: Too 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 a) Business & retail Use classes are relevant here. May be able to use Article 4 powers to modify permitted development rights change of use. b) Can create an “Assets of Community Value list” in the NP. 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.

Writing a Neighbourhood Plan policy example What is the comment from community engagement/ what is the real Issue? Can it be addressed by Is there an existing planning policy relevant to this issue? Policy wording Justification & Evidence Planning policy Other? 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. Yes. Conservation Appraisal has local list but this is not extensive and misses many buildings considered important by local people. 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 non-listed 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 Is there an existing planning policy relevant to this issue? Policy wording Justification & Evidence Planning policy Other? Comments: Decrease road congestion Issue: Increasing volume of North South through traffic, peak Legoland traffic, town centre traffic. Objective: Consider ways to improve road congestion Not directly, maybe indirectly. RBWM strategic & spatial planning e.g. Park and Ride, new roads, new bus or rail facilities. Major employment developments are strategic and covered in the adopted Local Plan and emerging BLP. WNP can work on projects with other stakeholders to deal with these issues, and find indirect ways to alleviate them. 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. Transport working group set up.

Research and fact finding SWOTs Evidence gathering Community engagement Research and fact finding SWOTs Area Character assessments Identify issues and options Other NPs for examples Create vision Objective Objective Objective Policies and proposals This diagram hopes to show how the evidence gathered will be used to create the vision and objectives. Here we The vision we create will be for the plan period. It will be a statement showing how we see the area develop over this timeframe The objectives will be more detailed and show different areas that need addressing in order for us to reach our vsion. Below each objective will sit our policies. Some objectives may not be purely achieved by policies and so we may also come up with projects. Policies and proposals Policies and proposals Reasoned justification Reasoned justification Reasoned justification

Towards a vision - Vision Consultation 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