Hungerford Neighbourhood Plan

Consultation on the submitted neighbourhood plan for Hungerford (Regulation 16 Consultation)

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

Following agreement at a meeting of Hungerford Town Council on 7 October 2024, the NDP was submitted to West Berkshire District Council (WBDC) on 31 October 2024. 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 Hermitage NDP here [175KB] , which confirms that 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 Hungerford NDP and its supporting documents to be publicised with comments invited. This is known as the Regulation 16 consultation. 

At a meeting of meeting of Council on 27 March 2025, 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 Hungerford NDP be sent for independent examination.

The consultation commenced on Friday 4 April 2025 and it will run until 11.59pm on Friday 23 May 2025. To view the consultation documents and find out further information on the consultation, please visit the dedicated consultation webpage. 

Following the close of the consultation, the Hungerford 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 could include some recommended changes to the NDP to meet a set of tests known as 'Basic Conditions'. If this part of the process is successful, the next stage would be to proceed to a Referendum. If the Hungerford 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 Hungerford Parish.

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

On 16 February 2024, Hungerford Town Council Parish Council published the first draft of the NDP for consultation. The consultation (known as the Regulation 14 consultation) closed at 5pm on 29 March 2024. 

You can find further details about the consultation on Hungerford Town Council's website.

Please note that this consultation was the responsibility of Hungerford Town Council and not West Berkshire Council. Any queries should be directed to: townclerk@hungerford-tc.gov.uk. 

Strategic Environmental Assessment and Habitats Regulations Assessment

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is required for all plans which may have a significant effect on the environment. A SEA aims to protect the environment at a high level, and ensures the environment is considered during the preparation of plans. This promotes sustainable development.

Consultants appointed by Hungerford Town Council have prepared a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). The SEA Scoping Report, which establishes a scope for the assessment, was prepared in December 2023 and it can be viewed online here [4MB] . The Scoping Report was subject to consultation with the three statutory bodies (Environment Agency, Historic England, and Natural England) between 21 December 2023 and 25 January 2025.

The SEA Environmental Report was then prepared and this can be be viewed  online here [1MB] . It was subject to a six-week consultation between 16 February 2024 and 29 March 2024. You can find further details about the consultation on Hungerford Town Council's website.

A Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) is required to determine if a neighbourhood plan would have a significant impact upon the integrity of nature conservation sites of international importance, such as Ramsar Sites, Special Areas of Conservation, and Special Protection Areas. If a plan is likely to result in significant impacts, then an assessment referred to as an Appropriate Assessment must be undertaken.

Consultants appointed by Hungerford Town Council prepared a HRA which included an Appropriate Assessment in January 2024. It can be viewed  online here [515KB] . Natural England The HRA was published as part of the pre-submission (Regulation 14) consultation on the NDP which took place between 16 February and 29 March 2024.

Neighbourhood Area Designation

A Neighbourhood Area for the Parish of Hungerford was designated on 9 April 2018; you can view the Designation Notice online, here [727KB] . 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 Hungerford Neighbourhood Area application form online [781KB] .

Hungerford Town Council have set up a website containing more information about their forthcoming neighbourhood plan.