Hungerford Neighbourhood Plan

Hungerford Neighbourhood Plan is making progress. Please see the link to our Neighbourhood Plan page for more details. Neighbourhood Plan

The Plan covers the whole parish for the period 2024 to 2041 and will be used to plan for Hungerford’s future and determine planning applications alongside the West Berkshire Local Plan.

The Plan Vision

Hungerford sits at the heart of the North Wessex Downs AONB and is treasured for being an historic market town set within beautiful and accessible countryside and waterways.

The residents of Hungerford seek to work together to embrace constructive change that ensures a vibrant, robust and sustainable economy that will enhance their prosperity and provide an affordable and nurturing environment for current and future generations.

This should be achieved whilst conserving Hungerford’s natural and manmade heritage and enhancing its strong sense of being a caring community and a fulfilling place to live.

There are chapters in the Plan under the following headings:

. Housing

. Employment and economy

. Getting about

. Leisure, Wellbeing, Public Safety and Learning

. Our heritage

. Climate change and biodiversity

In each of these there are aims, objectives and proposals.

Housing Site Allocation

The Neighbourhood Plan has to allocate sites to deliver a minimum of 55 dwellings to comply with the West Berkshire Emerging Local Plan. If it doesn’t, then the Emerging Local Plan will do this and the community will have less say over which sites are chosen.

After careful and detailed evaluation of many sites around the town several sites have been identified that represent sustainable and deliverable options.

An informal consultation to obtain residents views and comments has taken place in The Corn Exchange building on:

· Wednesday November 1st at the Town Hall 2pm to 4pm and 7pm to 9pm

· Saturday November 4th at the Magistrates Room 10am to Midday

This was your chance to comment on the alternative housing sites.

There was also an online consulation which ran until November 13th 2023.

On the basis of the Informal Consultation, Option A is the preferred option.

It is therefore recommended that the Hungerford Neighbourhood Plan proceeds with the site allocations of option A, Smitham Bridge Road and land to the rear of Cottrell Close.

Click the link below to see the full report.

What is Neighbourhood planning?

Neighbourhood planning is a powerful tool that empowers local communities and gives them the opportunity to influence planning and development in their local area. Introduced by the Localism Act 2011, a Neighbourhood Plan is a document that sets out planning policies for land use and development for a specified neighbourhood area. Neighbourhood planning enables communities to:

• Develop a shared vision for the community
• Plan where new development such as homes, shops, leisure facilities, offices and community buildings should be built
• Influence what new development should look like
• Identify and safeguard land such as green spaces
• Explore issues relating to transport, housing, air quality, sustainability and employment
• Have a say on what infrastructure should be provided

Once adopted at referendum, any planning applications that fall within the Neighbourhood Plan area will be assessed against the relevant policies contained within the Neighbourhood Plan.

For more information see the Hungerford Neighbourhood Plan FAQs

How is the Plan delivered?

Hungerford Neighbourhood Area

STAGE 1 - Get started

Following a public meeting on 22 January 2018, Hungerford Town Council made the decision at the full Council meeting on the 5th February to proceed in principle with a Neighbourhood Plan.

In order to prepare a Neighbourhood Plan, town or parish councils must notify West Berkshire Council of their intention to designate a neighbourhood area. This has now been done and the Neighbourhood Area has been designated in partnership with West Berkshire Council.

View the Designation Notice [727kb]

Hungerford Town Council also established a steering group (the Hungerford 2036 team) to identify how Hungerford wishes to develop over the next 20 years and document this vision in a Neighbourhood Plan.

STAGE 2 - Identify the issues

To get an idea of what the Plan can or should achieve the local community has been consulted and initial research is being undertaken to identify key issues.

STAGE 3 - Develop a vision and objectives

The vision and objectives are based on all the evidence gathered and are expressed as a series of statements. They will provide the framework to develop the Plan policies and proposals.

STAGE 4 - Generate options

A final vision and objectives are agreed. Policies are developed by the Hungerford Neighbourhood Plan team and are then consulted upon.

STAGE 5 - Draft the Plan

A draft Plan is developed, followed by a six-week consultation

The Plan is then refined and finalised and then submitted to West Berkshire Council. A further 6-week consultation will then take place.

An independent examiner reviews the Plan and produces a report.

If successful at examination, a referendum is held by West Berkshire Council. If more than 50% of the voting electorate vote in favour, the Plan is adopted and becomes part of West Berkshire Council's Local Plan.