Lambourn Neighbourhood Plan

Consultation on the submission of the neighbourhood plan for Lambourn (Regulation 16 consultation)

Lambourn Parish Council, assisted by community volunteers, have prepared a neighbourhood plan for Lambourn, which is also known as a neighbourhood development plan (NDP). The purpose of the Lambourn NDP is to provide planning policies to guide development in the designated Lambourn Neighbourhood Area. The Neighbourhood Area covers the Parish of Lambourn.

Following agreement at a meeting of Lambourn Parish Council on 4 February 2026, the NDP was submitted to West Berkshire District Council (WBDC) on 16 February 2026. Upon submission, WBDC took on responsibility for taking the NDP forward. 

Once a plan has been submitted to the local planning authority, it must be checked to ensure all of the submission requirements set out in legislation have been met.  You can view the Legal Compliance Check of the Lambourn NDP here [200KB] , which confirms the submission requirements have been met.

Now that it has been confirmed that the submission requirements have been met, Regulation 16 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (as amended) require the Lambourn NDP and its supporting documents to be publicised with comments invited. This is known as the Regulation 16 consultation.  

At a meeting of Council on 14 May 2026, Councillors agreed that the submitted NDP and its supporting documents can be published for consultation. Councillors also agreed that following the close of the consultation, the Lambourn NDP be sent for independent examination.

The consultation commenced on Monday 18 May 2026 and it will run until 11.59pm on Tuesday 30 June 2026. To view the consultation documents and find out further information on the consultation, please visit the dedicated consultation webpage here. 

Following the close of the consultation, the Lambourn NDP will undergo independent examination. The representations received to the consultation will be forwarded to an appointed examiner and will also be published on this webpage.

At the end of the examination, the examiner will issue a report, which may include recommended modifications to the NDP to ensure it meets the required tests, known as 'Basic Conditions'. The examiner's report is not binding; it is ultimately the responsibility of WBDC to determine whether the Basic Conditions have been met. This will be set out in a Decision Statement, which must be endorsed by Councillors at a meeting of Council. If this stage is successful, the process will move on to a referendum. If the Lambourn NDP is successful at referendum, it will be adopted as part of the development plan for West Berkshire, and will form the basis for determining planning applications in Lambourn Parish.

Strategic Environmental Assessment and Habitats Regulations Assessment

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is required under UK legislation for all plans which might have a significant effect on the environment. The purpose of SEA is to provide high level protection of the environment and to integrate considerations of the environment into the preparation and adoption of plans with a view to promoting sustainable development. 

Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) is a process which looks at the potential impacts of proposals within a plan on what are termed 'Habitats Sites'. In relation to Lambourn Parish, the relevant Habitats Site is the River Lambourn Special Area of Conservation. 

Not all NDPs will require a SEA and HRA to be carried out. To decide whether a SEA and HRA is required, West Berkshire Council undertook a screening in July 2023. The screening confirmed that both a SEA and HRA needed to be prepared. The screening report can be read  here [1MB] and the decision notice here [123KB] .

Lambourn Parish Council were responsible for the preparation of the SEA and HRA, and they appointed consultants AECOM to prepare these two documents on their behalf.

The SEA confirms that the policies in the emerging Lambourn NDP will not have any significant negative effects. The HRA confirms that the policies in the emerging Lambourn NDP will not result in adverse effects on the River Lambourn Special Area of Conservation. 

When the pre-submission (Regulation 14) version of the Lambourn NDP went out for public consultation in September and October 2024, the SEA and HRA were still in preparation. Following their preparation, Lambourn Parish Council consulted on the SEA and HRA between Friday 9 May until Friday 13 June 2025. You can find out further information about the consultation on Lambourn Parish Council's website which can be accessed online here.

Please note that this consultation was the responsibility of Lambourn Parish Council. Any queries about the consultation should be directed to Lambourn Parish Council who can be contacted via email lambourn.ndp@gmail.com.

Consultation on the draft neighbourhood plan for Lambourn (Regulation 14 pre-submission consultation)

On Friday 6 September 2024, Lambourn Parish Council published the first draft of their NDP for consultation. The consultation (known as the Regulation 14 consultation) ended on Friday 18 October 2024.

You can find further details about the consultation on Lambourn Parish Council's website which can be accessed here. Background information on the NDP is available on the Parish Council's website here.

Please note that this consultation was the responsibility of Lambourn Parish Council and not West Berkshire District Council. Any queries should be directed to: lambourn.ndp@gmail.com.

Neighbourhood Area Designation

A Neighbourhood Area for the Parish of Lambourn was designated on 7 December 2018; you can view the Designation Notice online, here [1MB] . This is the first formal stage in the preparation of 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. You can read the Lambourn Neighbourhood Area application form [419KB] .

Lambourn Parish Council have set up a website containing more information about their forthcoming neighbourhood plan.