2. Introduction and Background

2.1 Document structure

6. The remainder of this document is structured as follows:

Section 2 describes the process we have applied in developing the plan Section 3 sets out our perspective on what sustainable development means for Langley Burrell Section 5 provides a brief history of the Parish Section 6 sets out our vision for the future of the community Section 4 describes the designated area for the plan Section 7 describes our six high level objectives aimed at delivering the vision. Each objective relates to a distinct theme. Objectives 1 to 5 relate to issues which are relevant to the consideration of planning applications within the Parish. Objective 6 relates to community concerns not directly related to development. The issues raised under this section will be progressed primarily by the community itself and its Parish Council.

Sections 8 to 12 discuss the planning objectives in more detail. Each section is structured as follows: Sub-section 1 sets out the background and context to the theme. Sub-section 2 sets out our policies within the given theme together with explanatory text. To distinguish the text of the policy from supporting and explanatory text, policies are set out in bold and larger font size.

Appendix 1 captures the community (non-planning) policies. Annex A provides, for each planning policy, the references to demonstrate conformity with higher level policies and the evidence of community support for each policy. Annex B fulfils a similar function in respect of community policies.

7. In response to comments on the first draft, including extensive feedback from Wiltshire Council, the formulation of policies has been extensively revised and consolidated; some draft policies have been dropped to ensure conformity. However, the present policies retain the intent of the policies they supersede. Annex C provides the mapping of policies in the draft plan to those in the current plan.

8. For the avoidance of doubt, it should be noted that policies apply to the whole of the designated area except: i) to the extent that planning permissions have already been granted to land within the designated area or ii) the policy is stated as applying to a specific part of the designated area. This Plan was prepared to be in general conformity with the revised submission draft of the Chippenham Site Allocations Plan (CSAP) (May 2016); in May 2017 the CSAP was adopted as part of the Wiltshire Development Plan.

2.2 What is Neighbourhood Planning?

9. The Localism Act 2011 introduced Neighbourhood Planning into the hierarchy of spatial planning in England, giving communities the right to shape their future development at a local level. The Langley Burrell Neighbourhood Plan enables the community to better shape its place, to inform how development takes place and helps to influencethe type, style, quality and location of that development, ensuring that change brings with it local benefit. It providesan opportunity for the community to have a real say over local decision making, to achieve its long-standing goals through the planning system and to address the challenges and opportunities facing the future vitality of the Parish.

2.3 Preparation of the Plan

10. The Langley Burrell Neighbourhood Plan has been prepared on behalf of the Parish Council (the Qualifying Body) by a Neighbourhood Planning Steering Group including Parish Council members, members of the Langley Burrell Residents Association, community volunteers and local representatives. Additional expert input and advice has been obtained from various sources, including the consultancy firms Aecom Infrastructure and Environment UK Ltd, ADL Traffic Engineering Ltd, Adrienne Hill Planning Consultancy Services and Mr Graham Self MA MSc (Eng) DipIC FRTPI Chartered Town Planner. Wiltshire Council (WC) has provided ongoing guidance and support. The process has involved a number of key steps:

Designation and Raising Awareness

11. In June 2014 a steering group was formed to discuss the creation of a Neighbourhood Plan for Langley Burrell and to scope the neighbourhood plan process. During late 2014 the steering group hosted several village events informing residents of the proposed Neighbourhood Plan.

12. In 2015 the Langley Burrell Parish Council was successful with its application to become the designated body responsible for the production of the Langley Burrell Neighbourhood Plan(LBNP) for the area of the Parish of Langley Burrell that lies to the east of the A350 (the approved ‘Designated Area’). A map detailing the ‘Designated Area’ for the LBNP is set out in section 4 below.

Consultation and Evidence Gathering

13. Between July 2014 and January 2016 over 90 people attended several public open meetings held in the Parish. The consultation included finding out what residents liked and disliked about the Parish, how they would want to see it evolve and the benefits any new development should bring to the community. In August 2015 the Steering Group distributed a detailed Residents’ Questionnaire to all 124 occupied households and local businesses in the Designated Area. The Residents’ Questionnaire sought responses to the specific key interest areas that had been identified as being of significance and importance to the local community, and contained provision for respondents to identify any additional issues of specific concern to them which it was believed should be addressed in the LBNP. The Residents’ Questionnaire received a strong response rate of 45%.

14. During this period the Steering Group also mobilised itself to gather evidence to support the Neighbourhood Plan, and this included commissioning consultancy on a number of ‘technical’ aspects such as traffic management and flow density advice, an assessment of Langley Burrell’s Character, Heritage and Culture, planning and development policy formulation and advice, and environmental and ecological advice.

15. Additional evidence was obtained by using key national and local statistics and a ‘Parish Housing Needs Survey’ was commissioned from Wiltshire Council in June 2015.

Vision and Objectives Development

16. The Vision and Objectives emerged from the consultation process with Residents, both formal and informal. The full consultation process is contained in the accompanying Consultation Statement but the LBNP has also been the subject of much informal discussion among residents in other community events such as the summer fete, harvest supper, Community Cuppa sessions etc. We have considered feedback from these more informal sources because many Residents are elderly and less able to come out for more formal evening meetings, tending to prefer the more informal setting of ‘chatting’ over refreshments or around entertainment at a village supper or similar. Draft Plan creation and consultation and revision

17. Throughout July 2015 to March 2016 the 1st Draft LBNP was developed, building the Vision and Objectives, and taking into account the responses to the community engagement exercises, external consultancy reports and local evidence. The 1st Draft of the LBNP was issued on 20 March 2016 and there was a six-week public consultation period, during which the draft Neighbourhood Plan was published on the Langley Burrell website. A hard copy of the LBNP and a covering letter informing all residents of its importance and requesting feedback, was sent out to every household in the Neighbourhood Plan Area.

18. A letter was also sent out to local employers, utility companies, statutory consultees, Parish residents outside the Neighbourhood Plan area and neighbouring Parish Councils informing them of the Neighbourhood Plan’s availability on the website and requesting feedback. The letter also advised that hard copies of the 1st Draft LBNP were available on request from the Parish Clerk.

19. The feedback form for the 1st draft sought both quantitative (ie degree of support or opposition) and qualitative (ie freeform comments) feedback on each policy, as well as general comments. The Parish Clerk analysed the feedback to produce a quantitative report on the level of support for each of the draft policies 1 and provided additional evidence for the views and policies set out in this revised draft. Two public meetings were held during the consultation period to discuss the feedback on the initial draft plan. The written and verbal feedback and comments fell into one of two categories – the majority of comments received from both the community and Wiltshire Council reinforced the conclusions from the quantitative report. A minority of comments were suggestions for new policies that were outside the scope of a Neighbourhood Plan. In the 1st Draft, we proposed 82 policies. As noted above, the feedback received identified significant overlap in some policies, and a few that were not within the scope of a Neighbourhood Plan or in conformity with higher level policies. Therefore, in this version, the policies set out in subsequent sections consolidate the policies in the first draft, but there is very little alteration to the substance of the policies contained in the first draft. A full mapping of the policies between the 1st Draft and the present draft is included as Annex C.

20. A neighbourhood plan progress meeting was held in the village hall on 18th July 2016 to inform residents of the feedback received via the feedback form and from WC. At that meeting, we reported that analysis of feedback demonstrated strong community support for each of the proposed. We discussed with residents that there would, however, be a change of structure and consolidation of policies, following Wiltshire Council’s advice. The session concluded with an open Q&A session.

21. The LBNP reflects community-wide comments, observations and concerns about the future, bringing them together with census information, strategic and statistical evidence into a “living promise” that mirrors the community’s overwhelming desire to make Langley Burrell an even better place to live and work, both now and for future generations This Submission Version of the LBNP reflects the outcomes from the whole consultation and review process and has been approved by the Parish Council for submission to WC.

2.4 Evidence, conformity and community involvement

22. Neighbourhood plan policies must satisfy two key criteria: 1. They must be consistent with higher level policies; 2. There must be supporting evidence some or all of which might be derived from community consultation. 23. Annex A comprises a table which sets out, policy by policy, the principal NPPF paragraph(s) and WCS policy or policies to which each neighbourhood plan policy conforms.

24. It can be seen from Annex A that WCS Core policies 51, 52 and 58 are prominent in our assessment of conformity.

25. Annex A also records the following outputs from community engagement:

• The questionnaire responses which motivated each policy. As can be seen from the questionnaire summarytable2, each policy is derived from a very widely held community view
• The level of support received in our feedback form on the draft policies which underpin the policies in thisplan. Annex A shows a consistently high level of support for the proposed policies. (For a mapping of 1st Draft policies to plan policies, see Annex C).

26. Where relevant, Annex A records other sources of evidence in support of plan policies. These include, for example:

• The Housing Needs Assessment by Wiltshire Council
• The Housing Needs Assessment by Wiltshire Council
• The Landscape Setting Assessment produced for Wiltshire council’s Chippenham Site Allocations Plan
• Guidance by Heritage England
• The Rights of Way Improvement Plan by Wiltshire Council.

2.5 Delivery and Monitoring

27. The LBNP will be delivered and implemented over a long period and by different stakeholders and partners. It is not a rigid “blueprint” but provides instead a “direction for change” through its vision, objectives and strategy. Flexibility will also be required as new challenges and opportunities arise over the plan period. In this respect the review period will be crucial. There will be three strands of activity which will direct delivery and each is important in shaping Langley Burrell in the years ahead:

1. Securing the right private sector investment in the Parish through new development will be crucial. The statutory planning process will direct and control private developer and investor interest in the Parish in the context of the LBNP, the wider Local Authority plans and the NPPF.
2. Investment in, and management of, public services, assets and other measures to support local services and vitality and viability for the village. In the context of the prevailing economic climate and public funding there is a recognition that public investment in the village will be challenging to secure. The receipts from the Parish share of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) are uncertain. However, the Council is already turning its attention to the priorities for spending any receipts.
3. The role played by the voluntary and community (third) sector in terms of local community infrastructure, events and village life. This sector may play a stronger role in the future.

28. The LBNP aims to make Langley Burrell an even better place to be, now and for future generations. It covers a 10-year time period (2016 to 2026) to fit with the WCS time period. The implementation and effects of the LBNP will be monitored by the Langley Burrell Parish Council during the period of the Plan. On an annual basis, we will conduct a review of the compliance with or achievement of plan policies. Key questions will include:

1. What is the cause of any non-delivery?
2. Is it appropriate to seek to maintain the policy goal?
3. If yes, what remedial steps are available to get back on track?

In particular, regard will be paid to losses of landscape, character, visual amenity, assets of community value, biodiversity, green space and rights of way. In addition, monitoring will include housing developments, air quality, light pollution, traffic volumes and speeds, damage to verges and road infrastructure together with small scale business development, the quality of the broadband service, the quality of the mobile service and development of renewable energy.

29. The Wiltshire Core Strategy is due for revision in 2026, and this may necessitate amendments to the LBNP. Once the LBNP has been formally approved and adopted, any amendment then required will be undertaken in line with the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012.