Bracknell Forest Council has announced that its decision making Executive has agreed to the adoption of the Warfield Neighbourhood Plan, which will help with the arrangement of up-to-date planning policies for the future.
Warfield residents are able to participate in a referendum, held on the 17th November, where they were asked if they were in favour of the neighbourhood plan to help determine planning applications, with the majority of participants agreeing.
Executive Member for Planning and Transport, Cllr Chris Turrell, said:
“Thank you to Garfield Parish Council for preparing this plan and to everyone in Warfield who voted in the referendum last month - the vast majority supported having a plan in place for the parish to help us determine planing applications in the future.
“It’s really important that we have these plans in place as they allow us to look at what development is appropriate for the parish overall, rather than doing it in an ad-hoc and uncoordinated way.
“By having an overall plan an approach, it ensures we can approve appropriate development that is supported by the necessary infrastructure and can robustly refuse schemes that put the character of our parishes in jeopardy.”
At its meeting on Tuesday 13th December, the Executive agreed to adopt the plan. This allows the council to assess development proposals, alongside the planning committee, to ensure that any new development in the area meets the agreed planning policies.
The importance of neighbourhood plans such as this one, is in the fact that the residents have agreed to it, with the council and the people living in the parish having the best interests of the area at heart. This not only preserves the parish’s values, but also continues to secure the voice of residents at the centre of local decision making.
