Bishop's Tachbrook NDP Regulation 16 Submission

Executive Summary

Thank you for taking the time to read this important consultation document – the Bishop's Tachbrook Neighbourhood Development Plan, BTNDP for short. The BTNDP is being prepared by the Parish Council. We hope you read on to find out more about the plans for the future of the parish. We also want you to let us have your views on these plans so that you, too, can be involved in shaping the future of Bishop's Tachbrook parish.

The BTNDP is an important document because, when finalised, it will help to set the planning framework for the parish of Bishop's Tachbrook. The parish includes the original village of Bishop's Tachbrook, part of Warwick Gates, Heathcote Park (Park Homes), the new development that has taken place, or is under construction, located in the north of the parish, including development at The Asps, Heathcote and Grove Farm plus the surrounding countryside.

Because of the new development our diverse parish will see much change in the next 10 years, this makes the BTNDP a very important document because of the role it can play in helping to bring the various communities together and by protecting local green spaces, community facilities, heritage assets and landscape.

The BTNDP has been developed to achieve our Vision for 2029:

By 2029 the parish of Bishop's Tachbrook will have developed into a cohesive community that encompasses both new and old areas of the parish; environmental protection and sustainability will be at its core. Our new Country Park, valued green spaces and woodland will provide the green lungs of the parish. All areas will be connected by a network of footpaths and cycleways. Local services and amenities will be developed and enhanced. The development of small businesses will be supported and encouraged.

We want the parish of Bishop's Tachbrook to be a fantastic place to live and work in

To achieve this vision six objectives have been identified for the BTNDP:

1. To protect, enhance and give greater access to the natural environment of the area, including its landscape, geological assets, archaeological sites and wildlife habitats.
2. To promote healthy living and encourage sustainable transport (such as walking and cycling) to reduce demand on the local highway network and improve road safety.
3. To ensure the parish has the appropriate open space, recreation and community facilities to support present demand and future projected growth.
4. To protect and enhance the historic village centre of Bishop's Tachbrook by ensuring that any development within the Conservation Area is sympathetic with current buildings and landscape.
5. To ensure that new housing is in a suitable range of sizes, types and tenures, to meet assessed local needs for market and social homes.
6. To protect the environment, ensure sustainability and tackle climate change by reducing greenhouse emissions to as close to zero as possible by 2030. A commitment that is incorporated in Warwick District Council's "Declaration of a Climate Emergency Action Plan"

The most important part of the BTNDP is the planning policies it contains because it is the planning policies in the BTNDP that will be used to help shape future development in the area.

The BTNDP has 13 planning policies:

Policy BT1 seeks to identify and protect key features in the parish's landscape. Including settlement pattern, woodland, hedgerows, water features and key views.

Policy BT2 sets out the type of development considered to be suitable in the new Tach Brook Country Park and also identifies an area south of Tach Brook that should be considered for an extension of the Country Park.

Policy BT3 seeks to protect Green Infrastructure - the network of paths, fields, woodlands and watercourses within the parish. It also seeks to add new links to this network so as to improve connections in the area and connections between the parish's different communities.

Policy BT4 and BT5 identify key transport improvements to help reduce reliance on private cars and, therefore, reduce the amount of traffic, ease congestion and improve safety.

Policy BT6 designates 5 areas in the parish as Local Green Spaces. Under national planning policy such spaces have a level of protection akin to Green Belt.

Under Policy BT7 a number of other open spaces in the parish are also protected, but not to the same degree as the designated Local Green Spaces. On these spaces, development may be acceptable but only in very limited circumstances.

Policy BT8 identifies and protects the parish's key community facilities; The Leopard; St Chad's Church; St Chad's Centre; Bishop's Tachbrook Sport and Social Club; Tachbrook Stores; Croft Medical Centre; Bishop's Tachbrook School; and Heathcote Primary School.

Policy BT9 identifies a range of measures that, over time, it is hoped will help bring the different communities of the parish (those in the village and those in newer development) closer together.

Policies BT10 and BT11 set planning policy for Bishop's Tachbrook Conservation Area and heritage assets that have no statutory protection, whether that be through being a Listed Building or by being in the Conservation Area.

Policy BT12 seeks to influence the mix and type of new homes built in the parish by seeking to ensure that this reflects up to date information on housing needs in the parish.

Finally, Policy BT13 sets out a range of measures that should be considered when planning proposals are prepared to reduce energy use and carbon emissions to help make a local contribution to reducing the impact of climate change.

Map 1 – Bishop's Tachbrook Designated Neighbourhood Plan Area (OS Licence Number 0100060646)

Note on the format of this document

The NDP is broken down into a number of separate chapters. The NDP policies are set out in full in Chapter 6 and should be read in conjunction with Maps 2 and 3, these form the NDP's Policies Map.

Map 2 – Bishop's Tachbrook Policies Map North (OS Licence Number 0100060646)

Map 3 – Bishop's Tachbrook Policies Map South (OS Licence Number 0100060646)