Views wanted on the Englefield Green Neighbourhood Plan

The plan sets out to help:

• shape the development of the area in a sustainable way to create an attractive place to live, work and visit,
• develop a sense of community and identity in the village,
• protect the historic aspects of the area, while developing a modern character which is fit for the future,
• preserve the rural areas surrounding the village’s urban centre, and
• set out what good design looks like in the area through a Design Code.

The plan was prepared by the Englefield Green Village Neighbourhood Forum under the government’s neighbourhood planning regulations and was recently submitted to the Council with supporting documents and evidence.

Cllr Myles Willingale, Chair of the Council’s Planning Committee said:

Neighbourhood planning is an excellent way for local communities to get a structured plan in place which genuinely represents the range of wants and needs in the local area.

 

One of the priorities in our Empowering our Communities strategy is to support and encourage other communities in the Borough to consider the benefits of developing a neighbourhood plan where they live. Therefore, I’m pleased to see local people taking a lead and developing a plan, and I congratulate them on getting to this stage.

 

I would now encourage everyone living locally to take time to read the plan, and get in touch with their views.

 

The Englefield Green Village Neighbourhood Forum is the second local group to reach the stage of submitting its neighbourhood plan to the Council. In June 2021, the Thorpe Neighbourhood Plan was adopted by the Council after an independent examination, after the Thorpe Neighbourhood Forum submitted their proposals for consideration earlier that year.

Among the policies which the plan sets out are those on high quality design and sustainable building. On design, the draft plan says:

Proposals for good quality new development (including new buildings and extensions to existing buildings) will be supported, where they are in accordance with the guidelines and design codes set out in the Englefield Green Design Code.

All new development must be designed to enhance the Character Area in which it is situated and:

• relate to the existing development pattern in terms of enclosure and definition of streets/spaces,
• be of an appropriate scale and density in relation to its setting,
• use materials appropriate to the development’s context,
• be of a design with a locally inspired or distinctive character,
• provide boundary treatments and landscaping schemes which reflect the character of the location,
• be well integrated with the community and facilities by reinforcing pedestrian connections and taking opportunities to provide new ones. 

Whilst on sustainability, the draft plan says

The design and standard of any new building should aim to meet a high level of sustainable design and construction and be optimised for energy efficiency, targeting net zero operational carbon emissions. Alterations to existing buildings must be designed with energy reduction in mind and comply with sustainable design and construction standards. The retrofit of existing buildings including heritage properties is encouraged to reduce energy demand and to generate renewable energy where appropriate, providing it safeguards historic characteristics.

The Englefield Green Village Neighbourhood Plan public consultation is now open for comments and runs until Tuesday 11 April. For more information on how to view the plan and provide feedback, visit Neighbourhood planning – Runnymede Borough Council.

Following consultation, the proposals will be assessed by an independent examiner and, if successful, people will vote on the neighbourhood plan at a local referendum.

If adopted, the Plan will be taken into account when determining planning applications in the Englefield Green neighbourhood area, alongside the Runnymede 2030 Local Plan and other development plan documents.