Byfleet Neighbourhood Forum
Next Meeting - September (date to be confirmed)
The Latest Update from our Chairman, Andrew Weiss:
The Byfleet Neighbourhood plan is now ready for the public consultation process, which will run from the 20th November 2023 until 1st January 2024. The intention of the plan is to ensure that the village retains a pleasant, safe, and sustainable environment for the community.
Details of the plan are available as a download from this website, and hard copies will be available in the Library and community centre, there will also be an opportunity to talk to members of the committee at the upcoming Christmas Fair in the Village Hall on Saturday 2nd December.
Neighbourhood plans form part of the government's overall approach to planning, with the aim of giving local people more say about what goes on in their area. When the Byfleet Neighbourhood Plan is passed at a referendum, it will be made (adopted) by Woking Borough Council and will form part of the development plan for Byfleet Neighbourhood Area. It will also become a legal document which must be used as part of the response to all planning applications in the Byfleet Neighbourhood Area.
It will also, once adopted, entitle us to an increase in community infrastructure levy contributions (CIL fund) from 15 to 25%. A neighbourhood plan cannot be used to prevent development, but it gives us the opportunity to identify the best ways to deliver it, directing development towards what the community may need and want, while protecting our natural environment and cultural assets and ensuring a more sustainable future to ourselves and future generations.
The Vision and Key Objectives
1. To conserve and enhance the distinctive character and heritage of Byfleet, promoting Byfleet as a vibrant business and residential community with an improved public realm. By 2030 the Byfleet Neighbourhood Plan seeks to ensure that there is a sustainable future for the people who live and work in the area including access to housing, infrastructure, business, and community facilities.
2. To conserve and enhance the natural environment, especially the valued green spaces identified by its residents.
3. To have a strong and diverse economic base which meets the employment needs of the local community and beyond.
4. A well-maintained village infrastructure and a greater range of community services, shops and amenities.The document commences with a review of the village including its history, demographics, built and commercial environments, infrastructure, natural environment and open spaces and community and social facilities. Quite apart from the purpose of setting the scene for the policies around the plan, it is a very interesting read for people wishing to learn more about the village and its attractions.
