Taplow Parish Plan : Making It Happen
Karl Lawrence
The concept of the Parish Plan and its role in the development of a master plan for the future of a village community is new to the arcane world of planning.
In its Rural White Paper Our Countryside –The Future, the Government has set out its clear intention that a Parish Plan is to be an integral element in reaching decisions on development and service provision relating to a community.
Local Authority Planning Authorities are required to prepare a Statement of Community Involvement setting out how it will ensure the active, meaningful and continuing involvement of local communities in the preparation of development documents and the consideration of planning applications.
The Government has made it clear that community involvement is not to be a rigid tick-box process nor is to be delayed until a stage is reached at which there is little flexibility to make change.
The Taplow Parish Plan is published and the first stages of making it happen have started.
It has been adopted by the Taplow Parish Council, which has sent copies to the Local Planning Authority, South Bucks District Council and to the Highways and Landscape departments of the Buckinghamshire County Council. For information copies have been sent to the constituency MP Dominic Grieve, to the Government of the South East, and to several Environment and Community organisations.
The Parish Council has the prime responsibility to enable the implementation of the Plan and to ensure that the implementation is in accord with both the spirit and the detail of the published Plan.
A Working Party from the Steering Group is developing proposals to submit to the Council for a structure of project teams and advisory groups to carry forward the implementation of the Plan.
Following the Parish Council defining the path forward, there will be a call for residents to participate in the gathering of information and the formulation of action plans to tackle the seven issues – Environment : Traffic : Footpaths, Cycle Tracks and Bridle Ways : Housing : Community Facilities : Public Transport : Communication.
First and foremost to bring the Plan to a positive next stage is the establishment of the mechanics of community involvement with the Local Planning Authority and the County Highway and Landscape Departments to enable effective community contribution to development plans in accordance with Government Directives.
As ever the wheels of change turn slowly and the Parish Council awaits a response to its submission of the Plan on March 29th to the District Council.
