Any Neighbourhood Plan News

Village Meeting to Progress the Neighbourhood Plan 27th March

There will be a meeting in the village hall on 27th March  to consider the next steps in developing a Neighbourhood Plan for Westbury.  Hold the date!   More details later.

Housing Needs Survey

All households in Westbury should, by now, have received a copy of a Housing Needs Survey which is being conducted by an independent company ( CNB Housing Insights) on behalf of the parish council.  The survey is a key step towards developing a neighbourhood plan for the village which, once agreed, improves our chances of influencing how Westbury will develop over the next 10 – 20 years.  We need there to be a good response if the plan is to be seen as representative of village opinion.

Although the paper survey may look a little lengthy it is very easy to complete, particularly if it is done on line. I completed mine in just under eight minutes.

Presentations from Neighbourhood Plan Village Meetings

The information presented at the village meetings on 8th and 9th November are now available on the village website for those unable to attend or those who wish to refresh their memory. They can be accessed here

 

Neighbourhood Plan – New papers added to website

Two new papers are now available on the village website.

A Settlement Character Assessment that seeks to describe what makes the built environment of Westbury special & guidelines for producing developmenty that is ‘in keeping’

A report by Cotswold Archaeology on the heritage value of the traditional barns at Court House Farm and its implications for development.

They can be found here

Both are very large files and may take a little while to load.

Neighbourhood Plan Working Group – Public Meetings

Neighbourhood Plan Working Group – Public Meetings

 

In the coming week there will be two opportunities to hear a presentation on the work of the Neighbourhood Plan Working Group, ask questions and make comments. On Thursday 9th November there will be an open meeting at 7.30pm in the village hall.  On Wednesday the 8th the same issues will be covered in an online meeting via Zoom.  The link to join the zoom call is

 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85138767472?pwd=QzlFSTM3QzEyNlV2QzFKRElTZXAxdz09

 

Please join us to have your say in how the village should develop over the next 10 – 15 years.

Neighbourhood Plan – Public Meetings

The Neighbourhood Plan Working Group have organised two opportunities for residents to receive an update on the work of the group and make their views on the future of the village heard. You can participate either by zoom on Wednesday 8th November or in person in the village hall on Thursday 9th. Details are on this NOTICE which will also be available on noticeboards and social media.

What makes Westbury special

A report on what makes Westbury a special place, technically called a settlement character assessment or appraisal (SCA), has been prepared by a specialist consultant, Liz Beth. It was commissioned by the parish council to support the development of our neighbourhood plan. In simple terms, its purpose is to tell developers what they need to do to make sure any new development ‘fits in’ or is ‘in keeping’ with the nature of our village.

 

The report can be looked at HERE

 

We will make copies avaiable f0r people without the internet to read in convenient locations shortly. There will be a chance to discuss it, and express views before it is formally considered by the parish council, at village meetings on the 8th and 9th November. More details later.

Neighbourhood Plan – Village Facilities Survey

A reminder that there is only one week left to complete this survey which will help inform the parish council response to any proposals for development on Roughmoor Lane and contribute to the Neighbourhood Plan.  You can access the survey by following the link HERE or you can pick up a copy from the village shop.

Neighbourhood Plan – New Survey

As part of developing a neighbourhood plan the village needs to think about what facilities might be needed in 10 – 15 years time and where they might best be located. At the same time the parish council needs to be in a position to respond if the church commissioners move to develop land allocated for housing south of Roughmoor Lane.  In that case 0.1 hectares of space would be made available for community use and the parish council would need to decide what should go on it and where exactly it should be. To help answer these questions we have designed a short survey which we would be grateful if you could complete and return by October 8th .

The survey and supporting papers can be accessed HERE. Hard copies will be available, if needed, from the village shop.

Update from Neighbourhood Plan Working Group

For the benefit of those who do not read the PEW I am circulating a recent article from the neighbourhood plan working group.  It reports the thinking of some key village organisations on how their facilities need to develop over the next 10 – 15 years.  I should emphasise that we need to think about how these facilities might need to change, irrespective of whether the Church Commissioners go ahead with their proposals to build housing alongside Roughmoor Lane so that we can take advantage of any opportunities to invest in our community that might arise.  Read the article here