Help forge Burghfield’s future

 

A word from the chairman

We are constantly being told that Britain needs more houses. Whether we agree or not is immaterial. More houses there will be, and Burghfield will be allotted its share. In fact developments are being proposed all the time for the Burghfield area. We have seen proposals for example for Firlands, Mans Hill, behind the Hollies Nursing home and by Cayhill Road, and recently for 17,000 homes to the east of us at Grazeley. At the moment it is a free-for-all for developers. West Berkshire Council assesses planning applications after consulting the Parish Council but with minimum input from local residents. Each application is considered independently of the others, with no coherent plan for development in our area.

An NDP can not limit the number of new homes, but it can define the terms under which they are built. It can cover many topics, from the style of the new housing to its location, the preservation of important greenfield areas and the safety of the roads. And it covers employment-generating business development in the same way, and can ensure that new development is accompanied by appropriate infrastructure. It is a legal document to which all developers in the Neighbourhood Area must comply if their proposals are to be approved by West Berkshire Council.

 

AN NDP FOR BURGHFIELD WILL BE  WRITTEN BY THE COMMUNITY FOR THE COMMUNITY – IT WILL BE YOUR PLAN

 

Once it is prepared, it has to be approved by the Parish Council, The District Council and then YOU, the Community by a vote. ONLY THEN can it be enforced.

The NDP Steering Group of unpaid local volunteers has been formed to create the NDP on behalf of the Community, but we don’t know exactly what the community as a whole wants. So there will be a number of questionnaires, exhibition stalls and public meetings to determine this. Please contribute.

It’s YOUR Burghfield now and it’s YOUR Burghfield future.

The NDP Steering Group currently meets every fortnight and Agendas and Minutes of these meetings will appear here. The meetings are open to all local residents.