Scoping Consultation
Overview
Help Shape the Future of the Royal Borough
The Council is preparing a new local plan, called the Development Plan for the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead.
This Plan will guide how the Borough grows and changes over the next 20 years. It will help shape where homes, jobs, infrastructure, community facilities and green spaces are located.
We are at the very beginning of the process. At this stage we are not proposing sites or policies. We are:
- Identifying key issues and opportunities.
- Finding out what matters most to you.
- Asking how we can engage with you.
This consultation is your chance to help identify the opportunities and priorities that should shape the new Plan.
Why your views matter
Why are we consulting now?
The Government requires councils to prepare up-to-date local plans and plan for future growth.
For the Royal Borough this means:
- Planning for a significantly higher level of housing need, driven by a revised national formula, whilst recognising that we are a constrained borough
- Ensuring the growth is supported by the necessary infrastructure
- Responding to changes in national policy and legislation, including a new plan-making system and the introduction of national decision-making policies
- Preparing a plan within a much shorter timeframe (around 30 months)
Without an up-to-date plan:
- Development is harder to coordinate
- There is less local control over where development happens
The issues we want your views on
This consultation focuses on the following:
Building Communities
How can we provide the homes people need while maintaining attractive and inclusive communities?
Caring for What Matters
How should we protect and enhance our environment, green spaces, heritage and natural assets?
Supporting Everyday Life
What infrastructure, facilities and services are needed to support communities in the future?
A Prosperous Local Economy
How can planning support jobs, businesses, town centres and sustainable economic growth?
Planning for the right locations
Deciding where development should – and should not – happen
Before You Respond
You can engage with the consultation in the way that works best for you.
If you are already familiar with the issues, you may wish to go directly to the questionnaire and share your views.
If you would like more background information before responding, the following documents are available:
- Explains what the Plan is.
- Sets out why it is being prepared.
- Outlines some of the main choices facing the Borough.
- Describes the stages of the local plan process.
- Provides further information on some key topics.
- Highlights the key issues and challenges being considered.
- Explains the context behind the consultation questions.
Whether you choose to read the supporting information first or go straight to the questionnaire we welcome your views.