Draft Documents

Below, you will find a summary of the plan. You can download the full document by clicking the button below.

What is in this summary?

Foreword

  • Process (timeline, evidence, objectives)

  • Policies and Actions

  • Frequently asked questions

  • How to get a printed copy

  • How to give feedback

  • How to get more information

Thank you for reading this draft Neighbourhood Plan. It is the result of many months of hard work by a dedicated team of resident volunteers working on behalf of Finchingfield and Wethersfield Parish councils. The team have tried their utmost to represent local communities’ aspirations for the development of our parishes up to 2033, so that hopefully we can all feel we have had a chance to say what we think and had our voices heard. Although we still have a long way to go, reaching this stage relatively quickly shows how collaboration between the two parishes of Finchingfield and Wethersfield can allow us to share resources, talents, and collective interests, whilst preserving the differences that make each of our respective villages, hamlets, and settlements so special to us all. This Plan is forward-looking in terms of how we want to live and work in our beautiful surroundings for years to come. Its ambitious scope covering community, environment, heritage, and prosperity will require a lot of work going forward. With your help, once it is adopted, the parish councils pledge to play their part to deliver on the Action Plan outlined in the full document by working collectively with you to preserve and enhance the beautiful area that we all cherish so highly. But we are not there yet – this document is just a draft, albeit one we are undertaking formal public consultation on.

The parish councils and the Neighbourhood plan team now really want to know what you think of it. Last autumn and winter the Neighbourhood plan team conducted Drop-in Information sessions and numerous surveys to try to find out what the community wanted and what they were concerned about. Now, as promised, the Team is coming back to the Community to make sure they heard what you said correctly.
So please make your voice heard by giving us your feedback. This is YOUR plan! We urge you to read it in full if you can or this summary if you prefer

Evidence Vision Objectives

Online copies will be made available on our website https://www.fw-np.org which is linked to the Parish council websites https://finchingfield-pc.gov.uk/ and https://Wethersfieldpc.gov.uk. You can also find us on Facebook. Hardcopies will also be available at Information sessions at Finchingfield Guildhall on 12th October and Wethersfield Village Hall on 19th October or you can contact us (see below). All feedback must be made in writing on the feedback forms on the website, either online or in printed format. The end date of the consultation is 20th November, 2024. Should you have any comments or questions or need a print copy or accessible version of any document, please come along to our Information sessions, email us at fwnpteam@gmail.com, contact us via our Facebook page, send us a message on our website https://www.fw-np.org or write to us: Finchingfield and Wethersfield Neighbourhood Plan, c/o Wethersfield Parish Council, 4 Sims Cottage, Braintree Road, CM7 4BX.

Evidence: This Neighbourhood Plan incorporates community feedback from information sessions, discussion groups and surveys, and external research and policy guidelines. Residents’ aspirations and concerns were grouped into Community and Livelihoods; Climate Change and the Natural environment; Housing; Getting around; Design, Character and Heritage; and the future of the Airbase. Our consultation also revealed over-riding concerns about community health and well-being and the need for a sustainable future for the next generation.

We used this feedback to create a community vision which is: To maintain and improve the prosperity, health, and well-being of the communities of the parishes of Finchingfield & Wethersfield as part of a sustainable future for everyone. This future allows for continued evolution of our communities as a wellbalanced diversified rural area that retains its distinctive character, where residents value the living environment, social interaction, traditional local architecture, the area's history, landscape, and wildlife, and where the use of green technologies and the broadening of the entrepreneurial skills and livelihood opportunities are encouraged.

Using this Vision, we formulated 15 Objectives and 18 Policies and 14 Actions to achieve them outlined in the following picture and summaries

Policy FW1: Community owned / led renewable energy Section 4 Page 28

What does this really mean? Allow community-led renewable energy generation and storage only on appropriate sites

Why do we need this? Reduce fuel poverty, energy bills and carbon emissions; provide jobs and income for local community; protect productive agricultural land

Policy FW3: Retrofitting historic buildings for energy efficiency design Section 4 Page 31

What does this really mean? Relax restrictions on the introduction of energy efficient glazing, solar panels, or heat pumps in older buildings subject to careful safeguards

Why do we need this? Reduce energy bills and carbon emissions

Policy FW4: Wildlife Friendly Development
Section 4 Page 32

What does this really mean? Design buildings, to promote healthy habitats. Encourage developers to go well beyond minimum legal thresholds

Why do we need this? Protect and enhance biodiversity

Policy FW2: Sustainable design
Section 4 Page 31

What does this really mean? Design and build homes that are more efficient in terms of energy and water use

Why do we need this? Reduce fuel poverty, energy bills and carbon emissions

Policy FW5: Land Management for Farming and Nature
Section 4 Page 34

What does this really mean? Encourage protection and regeneration of our landscape in a managed way. Encourage developers to go beyond minimum legal thresholds.

Why do we need this? Protect and enhance biodiversity; reduce carbon emissions; and avoid loss of productive agricultural land

Policy FW7: Design and Character
Section 5 Page 49

What does this really mean? Developments must be designed to fit in with local character and design

Why do we need this? To ensure that any new development is sustainable, of high quality and does not harm the local character

Policy FW8: Non-Designated Heritage Assets
Section 5 Page 56

Why do we need this? To ensure that any new development is sustainable, of high quality and does not harm the local character

What does this really mean? Heritage properties will be protected from harmful development.

Policy FW6: Local Green Spaces Section
4 Page 37

What does this really mean? Village greens and playing fields are protected from development

Why do we need this? Protect and enhance biodiversity; preserve places to play and relax; protect views in / out of our green spaces

Policy FW9: Rural Landscape Character
Section 5 page 74

What does this really mean? Development outside development boundaries of our villages is restricted to that which enhances our cherished landscape. Specific views are protected

Why do we need this? To prevent development that spoils our cherished natural environment. Protection of our landscape and views was strongly supported in the Residents’ survey

Policy FW11: Access into the countryside
Section 7 Page 77

What does this really mean? Public Rights of Way should be protected and enhanced

Why do we need this? To preserve and enhance access to our walkways and bridleways

Policy FW12: Providing Community homes
Section 8 Page 85

What does this really mean? Small development of affordable community-led homes will be allowed if a suitable site is found and subject to several conditions.

Why do we need this? Housing Needs & Residents’ surveys showed a small need for smaller affordable homes

Policy FW10: Walking and disability access routes
Section 7 Page 76

What does this really mean? Any new developments must ensure safe access for walkers, horse riders and cyclists

Why do we need this? To maintain access for all to our walkways and bridleways. This was strongly supported in the Residents’ survey

Policy FW17: New-build business units in the countryside
Section 9 Page 89

What does this really mean? Existing business sites can be redeveloped for appropriate business use.

Why do we need this? Our rural economy needs local jobs for local people. The support for local businesses and jobs was strongly supported in the Residents’ survey. This will also help to reduce commuting out of the parishes.

Policy FW18: Wethersfield Airbase
Section 10 Page 97

What does this really mean? Mixed use development of the airbase including a small number of business units and homes alongside a nature park and renewable energy generation would be allowed.

Why do we need this? The airbase has significant potential as a nature regeneration area and for some mixed use. Sensitive and appropriate uses were supported in the Resident and Business surveys

List of Actions These complement the policies outlined above but cover issues that are beyond the policy making remit of a Neighbourhood Plan but are nevertheless of importance to the local community.

1 Planning for a Greener Future (Section 4 Page 27)

2 Community energy efficiency improvements (Section 4 Page 29)

3 Identify locations for public EV charging (Section 4 Page 29)

4 Broadband (Section 4 Page 3)

5 Wethersfield Conservation Area (Section 5 Page 56)

6 Danger points (Section 7 Page 75)

7 Re-store Finchingfield road footpath (Section 7 Page 78)

8 Identify and seek designation of quiet lanes (Section 7 Page 79)

9 Finchingfield Bridge (Section 7 Page 82)

10 On-Demand Public Transport Service (Section 7 Page 82)

11 Traffic management measures (Section 7 Page 83)

12 Support for local businesses (Section 9 Page 90)

13 Identify assets of community value (Section 9 Page 90)

14 Airbase Master Plan & conservation area (Section 10 Page 97)

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

  • Description text goesWritten by residents on behalf of their community. Once adopted, it forms part of the Local Development Plan which is used as a starting point in determining planning applications in our community. here

  • Volunteers from both parishes

  • To represent our local communities’ aspirations for the development of our parishes. It will form part of the 2023-33 Local Development Plan which is used as a starting point in determining planning applications. If there is no Neighbourhood Plan, planning decisions depend only on policies in the BDC Development Plan which may not take account of specific details relating to our area.

  • To share resources and we share common interests

  • The Neighbourhood Plan can only make policies on certain issues but it can suggest Parish Councils take actions that benefit the community. A policy is a factor in a planning application but an action is not.

  • Please see the information page below

  • Download here.

  • November 22nd

How to get your copy

Online copies of all documents (including feedback forms) will be available on our website from 7th October.

Printed copies can be picked up at our collection points:

• Finchingfield Post Office

• Finchingfield Lion

• Finchingfield Health Centre

• Wethersfield Community Shop

You can find copies at our ‘drop-in’ Information sessions:

12th October: 10-12 noon Finchingfield Guildhall 19th October 2-4pm Wethersfield Village Hall.

Online: Neighbourhood Plan website https://www.fw-np.org email fwnpteam@gmail.com or find us on Facebook

Finchingfield Parish council website https://finchingfield-pc.gov.uk/

Wethersfield Parish Council website https://Wethersfield-pc.gov.uk

How to give your feedback

You can give us feedback online or in print format using the feedback forms provided

1. Fill out the online feedback form by following this link

2. If you prefer a printed form, these can be printed from our website or collected at one of our collection points

Completed printed forms can be dropped off at the collection points, scanned and emailed and posted to the addresses found on the download.

What is the deadline?

22nd November, 2024

How to get more information

In person at our Information drop-ins Finchingfield Guildhall on 12th October 10-12noon Wethersfield Village Hall on 19th October 2-4pm

In writing Finchingfield and Wethersfield Neighbourhood Plan, c/o Wethersfield Parish Council, 4 Sims Cottage, Braintree Road, CM7 4BX.