1. 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

2. 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....

3. 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

4. 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!

5. Understanding the Strategic Policy Context
National Planning Policy Framework
Adopted Local Plan
1. The RBWM adopted Local Plan 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 and any changes in the 2nd consultation
Adapted from Planning Aid Source

6. Towards a Vision.... Community Consultation
2012 to 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

7. 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

8. 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!

9. 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

11. 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”

12. 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.

13. 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

14. 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.

15. 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

16. 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.

17. Thank you