The Steering Group has six Topic Groups each of which are gathering together evidence and information that will become part of the Plan. Each Topic Group Report will be published here as soon as it is completed.

Design and Character

The Parish of Winkfield includes many settlements, all with their own character and feel.

To this end the Steering Group are gathering together the finer details of each settlement that will need to be considered when putting together policies that affect the design and character of future development.

Housing

Nationally, there are great housing pressures. Bracknell Forest Council (BFC) has identified that there is a housing need for 635 new homes across the Borough annually from 2013 to 2036. Some of these homes may be built in Winkfield Parish and we cannot ignore this.

Our Neighbourhood Plan will give us a greater degree of management of future development decisions in the Parish.

Community

Sustainable communities are places where people want to live and work, now and in the future. They meet the diverse needs of existing and future residents, are sensitive to their environment, and contribute to a high quality of life. They are safe and inclusive, well planned, built and run, and offer equality of opportunity and good services for all.

An integral part of such communities are the provision of a good range of affordable public, community , voluntary and private sector services which are accessible to the whole community.

Business/Employment

Winkfield Parish is predominately a residential Parish serving the local economic centres of Bracknell, Ascot, Slough, Windsor, Maidenhead, London and elsewhere. There is no obvious meaningful demand for new employment activities in the Parish.

This reflects the content of the Framework and Vision Report.

Green Infrastructure / Environment

This report will provide evidence to support the policy approach being taken in the Winkfield Neighbourhood Plan with regard to the natural environment.

The natural environment, open spaces and habitats all come together under the umbrella of Green Infrastructure which is fundamental to well-planned and healthy communities. Green infrastructure can be provided in a variety of ways:

• It can be green or open spaces that can link together to create an informal but planned network across a wide geographical area.
• It can be parks, gardens, woodland, green corridors, wildlife habitats/sites, open spaces, watercourses, street trees, gardens and the open countryside.
• It can also be areas that perform functions such as nature conservation, food production (farmland), footpaths, bridleways and cycle routes, areas for flood risk management.

Natural England’s Definition of Green Infrastructure
“Green Infrastructure is a strategically planned and delivered network comprising the broadest range of high quality green spaces and other environmental features. It should be designed and managed as a multi-functional resource capable of delivering those ecological services and quality of life benefits required by the communities it serves and needed to underpin sustainability. Its design and management should also respect and enhance the character and distinctiveness of an area with regard to habitats and landscape types.

Green Infrastructure includes established green spaces and new sites and should thread through and surround the built environment and connect the urban area to its wider rural hinterland. Consequently it needs to be delivered at all spatial scales from sub-regional to local neighbourhood levels, accommodating both accessible natural green spaces within local communities and often much larger sites in the urban fringe and wider countryside.”

Highways / Parking / Traffic

Winkfield Parish is a mix of outlying villages, much of the housing stock dating back to pre 1900 and pre WWII, and newer, more centralized, 1980s estates. Many of these roads and streets being constructed before car ownership became so prevalent.

The major problem facing Winkfield Parish is transport. The ever expanding population brings ever increasing transport problems. Unless there is more strategic planning there is a danger that gridlock will ensue.