A CONSULTATION has been launched into the future of one of the northern parishes of Wokingham borough.
Residents of Ruscombe are being asked to have their say on a draft neighbourhood plan.
Once adopted, it will be help with decision making over planning matters. Other parts of the borough, including Arborfield and Shinfield have already gone through this process.
The six-week consultation is based on information prepared by Ruscombe Parish Council and responses to a first draft consultation. If adopted, the council will use it alongside its borough-wide local plan to help decide planning applications in the parish.
It includes a vision, specific objectives and policies for housing design and the natural and historic environment, community facilities, business and commercial development, local green space, and transport.
Residents can view it, and other supporting documents, on the council’s Engage Wokingham Borough page or by visiting its offices at Shute End or the library at Carnival Hub off Wellington Road, both in Wokingham town.
It will then be reviewed by an independent examiner, with the parish council then having the option to hold a referendum on it. If supported, it will be formally adopted.
Cllr Lindsay Ferris, executive member for planning and local plan, said: “Neighbourhood plans are a key part of our wider vision for how development should be managed in the borough.
“Ruscombe Parish Council and many volunteers have worked hard to produce a plan that will add value to how development in their area can be managed appropriately.
“Your comments at this stage are important and will be considered by the examiner, alongside all the plan documents and evidence, before deciding whether the plan should proceed to a referendum. The examiner can use your input to test the plan and recommend changes where needed, so please get involved while you have the chance.”
Ruscombe residents can share their views until 5pm on Monday, June 26. Comments received after the deadline cannot be accepted.
For more details, or to make submissions, log on to: https://engage.wokingham.gov.uk/en-GB/projects/ruscombe-neighbourhood-plan-1
