Welcome to the first community meeting for The Effingham Village Plan

Agenda Introduction – Introductions – Consultation Log – Newsletter sign up – Background to Neighbourhood Planning The Local Planning Policy Context What is ‘The Effingham Village Plan? – Neighbourhood Planning – Our Village Plan – Key Stages Have Your say – What do you care about in Effingham? Break out to review specific areas of interest Close

Brief introduction The Localism Act – ‘A new way of helping communities influence the planning for the areas in which they live and work’ – Includes housing and land use, infrastructure to support sustainable development – Balancing sustainable development with safeguarding our open spaces

What it’s not

But it can be … But it can also be.. Protection for our green spaces Sympathetic sustainable development Conservation of our historic environment

Why have one? A community / village plan already planned – Get views from residents on priorities – Set a vision for next 20 years – But plans of this nature are only a guide – Lack power to influence the Local Plan Neighbourhood Plans are different – Statutory power to underpin the vision – Integrated into Local Plan

The Effingham Village Plan People Open spaces Neighbourhood Planning

The Planning Policy Context Guildford Borough’s Local Plan Liz Hogger Borough Councilor for Effingham

The ‘Local Plan’ Current Local Plan for Guildford Borough 1993 Most still applies, e.g. o Design of buildings, street scene o Housing: extensions, new development, affordable housing o Green Belt protection and AONB o Historic environment and conservation areas

But what about the NPPF? The National Planning Policy Framework Introduced in 2011, the NPPF in just 47 pages replaces all previous national planning policy guidelines “At the heart of the National Planning Policy Framework is a presumption in favour of sustainable development, which should be seen as a golden thread running through both plan-making and decision-taking.”

NPPF: ‘Delivering a wide choice of high quality homes’ 6. To boost significantly the supply of housing, local planning authorities should: use their evidence base to ensure that their Local Plan meets the full, objectively assessed needs for market and affordable housing in the housing market area … identify and update annually a supply of specific deliverable sites sufficient to provide five years worth of housing against their housing requirements … identify a supply of specific, developable sites or broad locations for growth, for years 6-10 and, where possible, for years 11-15

What does this mean for us? Guildford Borough Council will soon be consulting on: New housing targets for the Borough – interim target 322 per year – 4,830 over 15 years – likely to increase Green Belt review – there isn’t enough room within the currant urban areas and the village settlement areas Site allocations – specific sites where new homes could be built Options consultation in autumn this year? New Local Plan in place by 2015?

Questions for Effingham HOUSING Does the village need extra homes? If so, where should they be built? What size, type, design? GREEN BELT AND OPEN SPACES How can we protect our precious open spaces and countryside? INFRASTRUCTURE What are the implications for: Traffic: roads, cycle ways, footways, and public transport; Schools; Recreation; Health services; Shops and businesses? HERITAGE How can we protect our Conservation Area and historic buildings?

The Effingham Village Plan Paula Moss Chair – Village Plan Steering Committee

The Effingham Village Plan People Open spaces Neighbourhood Planning Our Plan will have 3 main elements

About Neighbourhood Plans (NDPs) What are they? – A neighbourhood plan is a new type of plan introduced under the Localism Act. It will be the result of a defined community working together to decide how their local area should develop and grow in the future. What are they for? – Aims to further social, economic, environmental well being of individuals living/wanting to live in the area What do they deal with? – Must address development or use of land Homes Businesses Infrastructure that supports it Who does what? – Must be prepared by parish/town council in consultation with local people – Assessed by independent reviewer – approved by GBC

What Influence will they have? A neighbourhood plan is a level of statutory planning sitting below the Local Plan (which is the responsibility of GBC to create.) Neighbourhood plans, once adopted, will have significant weight in making decisions on planning applications. They can influence the type, design, location and mix of new development, however it cannot block new development required to meet the borough’s existing and future needs. When adopted, They will be statutory planning documents, forming part of the local development plan for Guildford Borough.

Local planning policies Neighbourhood Plans can introduce planning policies specific to the neighbourhood E.g. Thame Neighbourhood Plan 7D-P1: Provide a mix of housing types On schemes of more than six dwellings, a mix of dwelling types and sizes to meet the needs of current and future households in Thame will be sought. Large areas of uniform type and size will not be acceptable. 10D-P1: Contributions required from developers of new housing to fund additional healthcare facilities Financial contributions will be required from developers of new housing to fund additional healthcare services. 11B-P3: Provide new allotments Allocated residential sites must provide the following areas as allotments:  Site C: Land to the south-east of Thame – 0.33 ha etc

The Power of NDPs Neighbourhood Development Orders – Grant outline Planning Permission for qualifying developments – Underpin wishes of local residents with respect to where any building might take place in the area Community Right To buy / build Orders – In some instances can impose a community right to have first option on purchase if a key site becomes available A Neighbourhood Plan can also be very powerful (if that’s what residents want)

The Process for NDPs NDPs must follow strict guidelines to be accepted – Local consultation/ engagement is key – Evidence Base on needs and current solutions – Thorough review of proposals – Sustainability impact assessment on plans – Equal opportunities impact assessment on plans Submitted for Independent examination and must meet 3 tests – have regard to National policy (NPPF). – general conformity with strategic policies of GBC – Core Strategy/Local Plan – compatible with EU obligations, human rights requirements Plan to be proposed to all residents in the area via referendum – requires majority of those voting. (Only held if get past examination.) Formal adoption by Guildford Borough Council – Plan gets statutory status – part of Borough “development plan”

The Effingham Village Plan will aim to… Find out what local people want for our village Set local planning policies to ensure the village benefits from any new developments Identify and protect important green spaces Identify where the community would prefer new homes to be built (or not built) and the style and characteristics of the homes we build Identify where and what kind of businesses should be promoted (or not promoted) and how we can help our local economy to thrive Set out how we can provide for the education, health and wellbeing of our residents by providing community spaces and facilities to learn, to play and to come together. Enable us to safeguard and protect our environment for our enjoyment now and for future generations

More than a Neighbourhood Plan Our Village Plan will: Identify goals to work towards in a coordinated way and help establish priorities for the Parish Council. Be a solid basis for influencing the Borough and County Councils whose activities cover the Parish, in particular concerning land-use planning, roads, parking, public transport, and housing. Give strong support to the organisations within the Parish that are conducting improvement projects and initiatives and who may be seeking grants and other aid from outside bodies. Although led by the Parish Council this will be a community effort. It is hoped that the Plan will enable residents of Effingham Parish to take action for themselves, and set about making the village and wider civil parish a better place to live.

How we are organised…. Village Plan Steering Economy & Social Enterprise Learning & Living Well Our Green Environment Housing & Built Environment Transport & Roads Community Recreation 6 Key Working Groups working with interested parties & residents in their areas to shape ideas and proposals Steering group consults with residents on all key proposals

Opportunities to get involved and have your say Through Events (like this one) On Line at the website ( In person / writing / by Phone at the Parish rooms By making contact with the Working Groups By participating in the surveys and focus groups we will run By following our newsletter updates

Time for you to have your say! Open Session

I Love Effingham because……..