Agenda item

To consider the Executive Head of Regulatory’s report (attached).

In October 2014, Windlesham Parish Council had applied to the Council for the designation of a Neighbourhood Area within its parish area. The application related to the area that, at that time, comprised both the Windlesham borough ward and the Windlesham ward of Windlesham Parish. On 27 January 2015 that area had been designated by the Council as a Neighbourhood Plan Area, following a 6 week consultation.

Windlesham Parish Council and a Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group, which had comprised a group of volunteers from the local community, had prepared the Windlesham Neighbourhood Plan (WNP) 2018-2028. Following the formal submission of the WNP to the Council on 15February 2018, the Plan had been publicised and comments had been invited from the public and stakeholders.

The Plan had thereafter been submitted for examination. The Examiner’s report had concluded that the Plan met the basic conditions and that, subject to the modifications proposed in the report, it should proceed to referendum. The Executive, at its meeting on 19 February 2019, had agreed to implement the modifications and that the Plan should proceed to referendum.

A local referendum on whether to adopt the WNP had taken place on 2^nd May 2019, with 77.12% of electors who cast a vote voting in favour of the plan. The Local Planning Authority was therefore under a statutory duty to ‘make’ the Neighbourhood Plan as soon as reasonably practicable after the referendum, but no later than 8 weeks after the referendum date.

The Council was informed that the WNP would be used in the determination of planning applications that fell within the neighbourhood area.

RESOLVED that under section 38A(4) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, the Windlesham Neighbourhood Development Plan, as set out at Annex 1 to the agenda report, be made and the Decision Statement for the Plan, as set out at Annex 2 to the agenda report, be published.

Note: In accordance with the Members’ Code of Conduct, Councillor Rebecca Jennings-Evans and Councillor Valerie White declared non-pecuniary interests as they had been members of Windlesham Parish Council’s Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group.