West Northamptonshire Strategic Plan: Spatial options consultation

Closed 24 Dec 2021

Opened 11 Oct 2021

Contact

Strategic Plan Team

strategicplan@westnorthants.gov.uk

Overview

West Northamptonshire Council is preparing a new strategic plan which will guide development for the area up to 2050.

The West Northamptonshire Strategic Plan (WNSP) sets out a vision for West Northamptonshire in 2050 and the objectives to realise the ambitions for our economy, our communities and our environment.

What’s included in the Strategic Plan?

More Information

To address the key strategic priorities for West Northamptonshire, the scope of the plan includes:

  • The spatial strategy for the distribution of development
  • Climate change resilience – as a cross cutting theme that runs through the plan’s strategy and policies
  • Place-shaping / sustainable development – key principles to ensure quality development and sustainable places
  • Natural and built environment – the protection and enhancement of natural/built and historic assets and achieving net biodiversity gain
  • The housing requirement – the number and type of new homes to be provided across West Northamptonshire and the proportion of the overall housing requirement that should be affordable
  • Economic growth – targets for the provision of jobs and employment land in West Northamptonshire and guidance on the strategic locations for new employment land to meet the jobs requirement. New policy guidance for town centres and retail development
  • Strategic infrastructure – the key primary infrastructure projects that are required to deliver the strategy such as strategic transport schemes, utility networks and community facilities
  • Health – ensuring people can lead active lifestyles, including access to good quality open space, natural and semi natural greenspace and enjoy cleaner air
  • Strategic development locations and opportunities – key strategic sites that are crucial to the delivery of the spatial strategy will be identified in the Plan.

Spatial options consultation

We want to hear from stakeholders and communities across the area and work together to ensure that we prepare the best plan possible for a sustainable future.

We are still at an early stage in plan preparation and the options being presented are potential rather than preferred, so this is a genuine opportunity to influence the outcome of the plan.

As part of this spatial options consultation, we want to hear your views on: 

  • The spatial vision setting out the plan’s ambition for our economy, our communities and our environment
  • A set of spatial objectives to help achieve the vision
  • The housing and economic needs that we need to plan for
  • The potential spatial options that could be considered as part of the development strategy for the area

For more information about the spatial options consultation, please see the Spatial Options Consultation document (PDF 4.8MB).

This spatial options consultation is the second stage in preparing the new strategic plan. An issues consultation was held between August and October 2019 to establish the scope of the plan and the key issues it should address.

Events to find out more

We are running a series of online and in-person events where you can learn more about the plan and ask questions.

Online events / webinars

There will be a presentation setting out the scope of the consultation, how to find out more and how to respond.

All online events will take place from 6pm to 7.30pm, be hosted on Microsoft Teams and you will need to register to attend an event via Eventbrite using the links below.

In-person events

We are hosting a series of drop-in sessions across West Northamptonshire:

  • Tuesday 2 November, 2pm to 6pm – Wootton Community Centre
  • Thursday 4 November, 1pm to 6pm – Daventry Leisure Centre
  • Tuesday 9 November, 1pm to 5.30pm –  Moulton Community Centre
  • Wednesday 10 October, 2pm to 6pm – Brackley Methodist Church
  • Thursday 11 November, 2pm to 6pm – Towcester, The Forum

Call for sites

The development of this spatial options consultation has been informed by suggestions for strategic development locations submitted through a ‘call for sites’ activity in 2019.

There is now an additional opportunity to put forward ideas for potential development sites as the ‘call for sites’ is being re-opened as part of this consultation.

If you have any suggestions for new development locations, which were not previously submitted, then please tell us using the online ‘call for sites’ form (You will need to log in or register to access the form).

What happens next

The next stage in plan preparation will be to produce a full draft plan for consultation, which will include the preferred spatial strategy, strategic site allocations and policies to address the strategic priorities for the area.

We are aiming to carry out the draft plan consultation in summer 2022.

For further details of the stages in plan preparation and the expected timetable, please view the local development scheme on the West Northamptonshire Strategic Plan consultation website.

Interests

  • Consultations
  • Planning and building control