Approving new houses and other buildings has been controlled through district and county councils since 1948, but in 2011 the Government introduced Neighbourhood Development Plans (NDPs) to give communities more power to develop a shared vision for their neighbourhood and on policies that would influence growth there.
Having our own NDP will enable the communities of our parish to play a much stronger role in saying where new developments are sited, and shaping the neighbourhood in which we live and work. Once adopted, the NDP will be used alongside national and county policies by the planning authority when making decisions. These policies have already set out the increase in housing the Government believes is necessary, with Walford Parish required to provide 91 new dwellings between 2011 and 2031. Without an NDP, that requirement will be implemented without any local input.
Our NDP project is gathering impetus, and we are holding two ‘drop in’ sessions for all residents to give us your opinions on:
- The proposed vision and objectives for our NDP.
- The criteria for selecting sites for future development.
- Specific items that you think are special to our Parish and deserve protecting, such as a piece of woodland, a view, or a building.
The two ‘drop-in’ sessions will be held on Saturdays 22nd February at Walford Village Hall & 29th February at Bishopswood Village Hall, both open between 10:00am and 2:00pm. It will take 30-45 minutes to input to all the questions, but members of the NDP steering group will be on hand to assist and there will be tea and coffee available if you would like to sit and chat for a bit.
As your own input is vital, if you can’t make either date please let us know through the contact page so we can find a way for you to provide your opinion.
