On Friday 6th January 2023, West Berkshire Council will launch the consultation for its new Local Plan Review, this will be the Regulation 19 Local Plan. This Plan will provide a framework for future development in the area until 2039 and will help to ensure that the Council can continue to provide high quality development and retaining and providing new local facilities and services for its residents, and business needs, as well as setting out the housing numbers for the District between 2022 and 2039 (between 8,721 and 9,146), and a distribution for the houses, including the allocation of a strategic scale development at North East Thatcham (NET).
The Local Plan will set out the Council’s vision for West Berkshire, setting out the types of development that will be allowed and where it will take place. It will also look at the infrastructure needed to support new development and identifies sites that it thinks are suitable for development through the Plan process.
The Local Plan will be a long-term plan for the future development of West Berkshire and will help to ensure that the area has the facilities and infrastructure it needs to meet the needs of its residents and businesses, it includes development management policies and non-strategic site allocations including a new strategic scale development site at North East Thatcham, although this has been significantly reduced from the Regulation 18 proposal of 2,500 dwellings. The majority of the development is proposed in the Newbury / Thatcham spatial area and incudes the strategic sites of Sandleford (1,500 units) and North East Thatcham (1,500 units).
The Local Plan will also help to ensure that the Council can continue to provide the infrastructure and services that local people need. This could include things like transport links, healthcare, education and leisure facilities.
The consultation process will involve local people and stakeholders having the opportunity to comment on the proposals and provide feedback. This will ensure that the Local Plan reflects the needs and aspirations of the local community. There are also a number of evidence base documents which will be published as part of the consultation.
The consultation will last for a period of six weeks and will end on Friday 17th February 2023. During this period, local people and stakeholders can find out more about the Local Plan Review and take part in the consultation process by reviewing the documents and submitting representations to the process.
The Council is committed to ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to have their say on the plan and that their views are taken into account through the Local Plan Review process. This is why the Council is encouraging everyone to take part in the consultation process.
ET Planning have a track record of securing proposed allocations in Local Plans, and have a good working relationship with West Berkshire Council.
If you would like to submit a representation for your land interest or comment on a specific aspect of the Local Plan Review, please let us know by contacting the Strategic Land Team. We can be reached by emailing david.wetherill@etplanning.co.uk or robyn.milliner@etplanning.co.uk.
If you wish to review the Local Plan Review consultation documents, please visit the West Berkshire website here: https://www.westberks.gov.uk/local-plan-review-2039