Stratfield Mortimer Neighbourhood Plan

Development of a Neighbourhood Plan for the parish of Stratfield Mortimer

Plan adopted

Following a positive Icon for pdf referendum result [45KB] on the Stratfield Mortimer Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) on 22 June 2017, West Berkshire Council has adopted the Stratfield Mortimer NDP part of the Development Plan for the purposes of managing development in the parish of Stratfield Mortimer.

The Stratfield Mortimer NDP and the Decision Statement can be viewed below:

Referendum

The referendum on the Stratfield Mortimer NDP was held on Thursday 22 June 2017 and the question asked was:

"Do you want West Berkshire District Council to use the neighbourhood plan for Stratfield Mortimer to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?"

From the votes recorded, 1,375 voted 'Yes' to the NDP (88.8 per cent), and 172 voted 'No'. The turnout of electors was 50.09 per cent.

The referendum was conducted in accordance with procedures similar to those used at local government elections.

In accordance with the Neighbourhood Planning (Referendum) Regulations 2012, we have published an Icon for pdf Information Statement [1MB] which sets out information relating to the referendum and also the following specified documents:

Examination of the Stratfield Mortimer NDP

The examination took place between May and August 2016 with a hearing session at the end of August 2016. The council received the Icon for pdf examiner's report [751KB] at the end of October 2016. This recommended that the NDP did not proceed to referendum due to a lack of landscape evidence. The examiner did however set out modifications [68KB] that he would have made to the NDP had he recommended that it proceed to referendum.

As part of the process for making Neighbourhood Development Plans, following the issuing of the examiner's report, a local planning authority must consider the examiner's report, decide which of the recommendations should be followed, and then publish its decision.

Legislation allows local planning authorities to make a different recommendation to that of the examiner if there is new evidence. In January 2017, a Icon for pdf Landscape Capacity Assessment [2MB] of potential housing sites in Stratfield Mortimer was prepared for Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council. On consideration of this new evidence, West Berkshire Council officers proposed to recommend that the Stratfield Mortimer Neighbourhood Development Plan (with the modifications proposed by the examiner) progress to referendum.

Representations on this proposed recommendation were sought between 3 March and 18 April 2017. The representations and the Icon for pdf council's response can be viewed online [370KB] . The representations received have not resulted in West Berkshire Council officers making a different recommendation, eg. that the Neighbourhood Development Plan is re-examined.

At a Full Council meeting on Tuesday 9 May 2017 at 7pm, Council agreed that the Stratfield Mortimer Neighbourhood Development Plan could progress to referendum.

Submission of the Stratfield Mortimer Neighbourhood Development Plan

Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council submitted their proposed NDP to West Berkshire Council. Following a period of consultation (4 March to 22 April 2016), the plan was submitted for examination in May 2016. The proposed Neighbourhood Plan and accompanying submission documents are available on the Local Plan Consultation Portal.

Strategic Environmental Assessment and Habitats Regulations Assessment

West Berkshire Council undertook screening for Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). You can read the screening report [438KB] and decision notice [15KB] online.

Neighbourhood Plan area designation

A Neighbourhood Area for Stratfield Mortimer Parish was approved in December 2013.

You can read the Stratfield Mortimer Neighbourhood Area application [33KB] and see a map of the Icon for pdf proposed Neighbourhood Area [1MB] online.