Our vision

That, through partnership working, Wymondley Parish will become a safer, healthier, greener place in which to live and work now, and for generations to come, and that its character, heritage and natural environment will be conserved and protected for current and future generations while planning positively for the future.

This vision for the future has been developed in the light of feedback from those who live, work and visit the Parish, and reflects and underlines their wishes and aspirations. We aim to make this vision a reality by:

• Conserving and enhancing our Parish’s natural and historic environments, by ensuring that any proposed new development contributes positively to its distinctive character; takes into account its identified biodiversity and environmental issues; and does not negatively impact on its existing green infrastructure or its valuable archaeological heritage.
• Preserving the look and feel of the Parish, with particular importance being given to the protection of the Green Belt to prevent erosion of the Parish’s character by urban sprawl.
• Contributing to the well-being of the Parish by seeking to address the current shortfall in Flood Prevention Measures; and working constructively with local planning authorities to pre-empt the future effects of climate change and ensure that any development proposals are sustainable, have no adverse effect on potential flood risk and will contribute to existing and necessary future infrastructures.
• Contributing to the health and well-being of our Parish, by ensuring community access to high quality open spaces and opportunities for sport and recreation - including consideration of Local Green Space designation; and by seeking to ensure that any proposed development within, (or impacting on), the Parish or its green infrastructure is consistent with national Green Belt policy.
• Promoting, facilitating and encouraging use of sustainable transport within the Parish; and working effectively with the Highways Agency, local authorities, landowners and other relevant stakeholders to support cyclists, pedestrians and other non-motorists in their use of “green” routes within the Parish.
• Working positively and collaboratively with local planning authorities to ensure that the traffic management needs of the Parish are met effectively; principally that there are sufficient measures available to identify, mitigate and resolve key issues relating to building developments;
• Working positively and collaboratively with local planning authorities to help ensure that the educational needs of the Parish are met, principally that there are sufficient school places available to meet its needs; and to identify and resolve key issues relating to developments intended to create, expand or alter our schools – or impacting on existing schools.
• Ensuring the Parish has a high-quality communications infrastructure, through ongoing liaison with relevant telecommunications and broadband providers.
• Encouraging rural economic growth and employment, through support of business expansion and development which is appropriate and in keeping with the Parish’s intrinsic character and environment.
• Improving quality of life, social cohesion and well-being for our community, through positive action to retain local services and community amenities and, where suitable opportunities arise, improve them to meet parishioners’ needs.
• Promoting sustainable development in our Parish, by ensuring any necessary development is well-designed and located appropriately, i.e. where it will enhance or maintain the vitality of our community; reflect the identity of our parish; and respond to its local character and history.  Also, through consideration of demographic trends and community needs, and by identifying possible “deliverable”  sites within the Parish, we will strive to ensure that any proposed housing is affordable and of a suitable size, type, tenure and range for the community.

Our stakeholders

We regard the Wymondley parishioners as our main stakeholder, and the driving force behind this Neighbourhood Plan.  However, there are others who are influential in the future of the Parish (and on our ability to implement our Plan); have an interest in the Parish; or who are affected by what happens there or by our policies.  These stakeholders include our accountable and neighbouring local authorities, i.e. North Hertfordshire District Council (NHDC) and Stevenage Borough Council (SBC); Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) and North Herts Homes (NHH).  A list of stakeholders we have consulted on this Plan is at Annex 10.

Our evidence base

In drafting this Plan we have gathered information from a variety of sources, covering a range of issues we believe are vital in planning a sustainable future for the Wymondley Parish community.  Feedback from the WAF survey of parish residents (see Section 5) forms an important part of this evidence base, and is incorporated into this Plan.  The Plan also contains web-links and other references to key documents and photographic evidence, some of which have been annexed for ease of reference.  We have used this evidence base to formulate the policies contained in this Plan, and it is available in full on our website at: www.wymondley.org.