Image of the local area of Dunsden

Our Neighbourhood Plan is now out to full public consultation

See all the plan documents and respond here

See the minutes of meetings of the NDP Steering Group

A well-attended public meeting heard in October 2019 from the Chair of the Parish Council and two members of SODC’s Neighbourhood Development Plan team.

They explained the reasons why Eye & Dunsden might consider making a plan and the limitations of the process. There were some lively questions and at the end a number of people committed to being part of a NDP team.

A copy of the slide presentation from the evening is available to download here.

At the October meeting of the parish council a decision was taken to go ahead with a Neighbourhood Plan. 

Graphic detailing the timeline of the neighbourhood plan

Plan timeline

December 10, 2019
First meeting of the new plan steering group.

February 2020
SODC confirmed the plan area to be the whole parish.

March 2020
Steering group resolves to meet by Skype during Corona-19 outbreak.

April 2020
£5,000 grant funding secured from SODC.

May 2020
Review of Reading Transport Strategy and the Examination in Pubic of the Local Plan begins, climate change seminar attended.

June 2020
Survey responses collated, high turnout, advertising campaign including posters to end July. Consultants appointed.

July 2020
Vision statement, Locality bid and framework documents in draft. A significant increase in new planning applications noted in the parish.

August 2021
Public consultation event held at Dunsden village hall.

September 2021
Online business consultation even held.

2023
Review of draft plan received from our consultants, prior to submission to SODC for consideration.

Regulation 14 local consultation opened and closed.

 

2024

Consultation responses are currently under review prior to submission to SODC for public consultation under Regulation 16.

 

Anyone interested in contributing to the plan is welcome at our meetings which are either held on Zoom or in the village hall. 

Please email Ian Dick for further information: plan@eyedunsden.org

Why a NDP?

If you’ve been reading any local news about the Third Thames Bridge, Gladman Developments or other threatening schemes, you might be forgiven for thinking the parish of Eye & Dunsden is under constant attack.

Greedy developers, land grabbing Reading, gravel extraction that may worsen flooding and a potential new Thames crossing with a motorway-style link road all contribute to the feeling of powerlessness in the face of corporate power and indifferent local authorities based in distant Oxford and Didcot.

But there is something local communities can do to assert what development they consider is acceptable. By making a Neighbourhood Development Plan places like ours can tell the planners exactly where they think new development should or shouldn’t go. The process splits into various clear stages and relies on proving the plan has strong support from within the community. It requires a team of enthusiastic volunteers, including both members of the parish council and people from the villages concerned (in our parish these are Dunsden, Littlestead Green, Playhatch and Sonning Eye).

Professional help is available with things like landscape assessments and so too are grants of around £9,000, but first we need a group of at least a dozen people to commit to the process. Around ten have already expressed an interest. Will you consider joining us? 

Some Neighbourhood Planning links

Locality is the Government’s Neighbourhood Planning advice site

 Neighbourhood Planning in South Oxfordshire provides SODC guidance

Oxfordshire Neighbourhood Plan Alliance is ensuring that county planners take account of NDPs

Community First Oxfordshire provides a paid for consultancy

CPRE guidance on Neighbourhood Planning

Process timeline for the neighbourhood plan
Map for the proposed neighbourhood plan
Gladman and Phillimore Estate proposal for 550 houses in Eye & Dunsden as put forward at Local Plan Inquiry July 2020

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