1. Winkleigh Neighbourhood Plan What is the Neighbourhood Plan?
Theme 1: Environment & Resources
“Have your say”!
The draft Plan has objectives and policies that safeguard and protect the things we value locally. It seeks to make sure we improve the environment whenever we can. The Plan identifies what is important, and policies show how we expect developers to protect the environment when they present their plans.
The Parish Council has produced a DRAFT Neighbourhood Plan. Now is YOUR chance to say what you think about it. This leaflet gives you a flavour of what is in the draft Plan.
What is the Neighbourhood Plan?
It is a plan produced by the community. Once it is finalised (see final page for details) it will sit alongside the Local Plan for Torridge. Planning decisions will have to be made in line with it, unless there are exceptional reasons for overturning it.
You can see a full copy of the draft Plan at…….
To see how to respond please turn to back page
This theme also covers the built environment and the things that make Winkleigh distinctive, building on the Village Design Statement.
Finally, it contains policies support energy and heat generation where they deliver benefits to the community, and encourage buildings that are energy efficient.
At the heart of the draft Plan is our VISION for the Parish in the years to 2031.
“Our Vision is for the Parish in 2031 to be an inclusive, economically sustainable community, with development contributing to a sense of place and improved quality of life, providing a range of housing for people of all ages and incomes, whilst respecting the character of the area and protecting its valuable heritage and environment
Theme 2: Housing, Community Life & Wellbeing
Most in the Parish favour affordable, small scale housing. The Local Plan has strong policies about how affordable housing is secured, and so the focus of our policies in the type of housing can go in the countryside; how we encourage housing that is sustainable and how we can create new neighbourhoods that are nice to live in.
As a local centre, Winkleigh can potentially attract a lot of development. This Plan seeks to influence any larger scale development to gain as much community benefit as possible. A policy also covers the development of the site north of Chulmleigh Road, allocated in the Local Plan. This sets out what kind of development should be achieved and the pedestrian and cycle linkages to the playing fields and adjacent land.
The draft Plan has four topic based themes, plus a delivery and implementation section. Each theme has OBJECTIVES and a number of POLICIES.
Finally, community facilities and the creation of new footpaths is supported, particularly to the playing fields and Winkleigh Woods.

2. Theme 4: Transport, Travel & Movement
Theme 3: The Economy
What difference will the Neighbourhood Plan make?
The Delivery & Implementation section of the draft Plan sets out policies to make sure investment in infrastructure keeps pace with any development, and also shows how the plan will be used by decision makers.
The draft Plan builds on our existing strengths and encourages new enterprises, especially where they make use of new technology, ICT and the “knowledge economy”.
What happens next?
The Parish Council will consider all the comments made on the draft Plan, and decide how to amend the document to take them into account. The Plan will then be submitted to Torridge District Council, who will arrange for formal consultation and for the Plan to be Examined (like a planning inquiry). Once changes to the Plan have been made to take account of the Examination findings, there is then a referendum, open to every registered voter in the Parish, to “approve” the Plan locally. If the referendum result is “yes”, Torridge will formally adopt the Plan as part of its planning decision making.
The Airfield is recognised as an important asset for the economy and the draft Plan commits the community to working on additional guidance about how the area is developed.
Shops in the Square are protected from change of use, and new shops encouraged where they are in walking distance for villagers.
Theme 4: Transport, Travel & Movement
How to make your views known
Find out more….come to the display in the Village Hall on…….to ask questions and see more information.
Read the full draft Plan….it can be read on the Parish Council web site, or copies can be viewed at the Community Centre; Village Hall; Sports Centre; etc etc. Copies may also be borrowed (and signed for) from the Parish Council, on application to the Clerk.
Fill in a response form….once you have looked at the draft Plan, and been to the display, fill in a response form. If preferred you can write to the Parish Clerk.
Your views must reach the Parish Clerk by **************** . Any comments received after this time may not be taken into account.
The focus of this theme is how to take forward the work done by Hamilton Baillie (a link is on the Parish Council web site).
The draft Plan sets out a “transport hierarchy”, with pedestrians as the top priority. It aims to make sure any new development takes proper account of additional traffic, and puts plans in place to deal with it properly. Putting pedestrians first also means less focus on the car, with better pedestrian and cycle links. The draft plan shows how pedestrian routes could be used to link neighbourhoods on the allocated housing site, and land off Farmer Frank’s Lane.
Parking is an issue, with new development being required to provide sufficient parking.
Finally, this theme sets out priorities for future investment, if money become available.