THE PROPOSED neighbourhood plan for Finchampstead would “add a layer of planning policy to help reflect local circumstance and further guide the nature and quality of development”.
That’s the view of Cllr Lindsay Ferris, the executive member for Wokingham borough’s new local plan.
He was responding to a question from Finchampstead councillor Charles Margetts who pointed out that in January a development of five homes was given planning permission, in a part of the borough that has seen planning applications and appeals going back 20 years.
Cllr Ferris said the referendum on the neighbourhood plan would be held on September 23, and it included policies on infill, plot development and development of private residential gardens.
“It will provide an additional layer of planning and policy that decision takers will consider when determining application,” he added.
Cllr Margetts thanked those who had worked on the plan, and had his support, but the application he referred to was outside the area considered by it.
He wanted to know what progress was being made on Wokingham borough’s five-year land supply.
Cllr Ferris said: “The reason we don’t have a five-year land supply is because we have built too many houses too early … I would ask you to lobby your government to as hard as you can to for them to put their proposals together. And I think that would be the greatest response and protection we could get.”
Introducing the vote on the consultation for the Finchampstead Neighbourhood Plan, Cllr Ferris said he was delighted to see it come to the council.
“There has been a tremendous amount of work done by the parish council and volunteers to get it to this stage,” he said.
There were five recommendations the councillors were asked to vote on: accepting the independent examiner’s modifications to the plan, that the modified version is compliant with legislation, the decision statement would be published, approval for any factual changes necessary to the plan, and to organise the referendum for Finchampstead residents.
This was approved unanimously.
