Harden Neighbourhood Development Plan - Regulation 16 Consultation

HARDEN VILLAGE NEIGHBOUROOD PLAN - DRAFT FOR SUBMISSION - 2021- 2030

FOREWORD BY CHAIR

"In June 2017, the Village Council decided to start the process of writing a Neighbourhood Plan for Harden. A grant was obtained and a consultant appointed to take the work forward with members of the Neighbourhood planning Team.

We embarked on this project because we wanted to secure the future of the village as a good place to live for its present and future residents. It was clear that residents hugely valued the environment of the village and had chosen to live here because of its unique characteristics but they also had concerns that future developments should enhance rather than harm what they valued.

At every stage we have surveyed and consulted residents about how they saw the future of our village and how we develop a vision for the future.

This draft Plan, along with other documents and evidence about development design, housing requirements, green spaces, transport infrastructure, local businesses, local facilities and non-listed heritage assets will now be put out to a six week consultation to village residents."

Gerwyn Bryan - Chair of Harden Village Council

Kay Kirkham - Chair of the Neighbourhood Plan Group

THE CLIMATE EMERGENCY

Harden became one of the first rural communities in Yorkshire to declare a climate emergency. In declaring a climate emergency, the Village Council has committed to:

• Put the emergency at the forefront of discussions and decision- making, ensuring negative environmental impact is avoided, minimised or mitigated.
• Establish a set of actions and commitments for working with and supporting local residents, groups and businesses to be more sustainable, progress against which will be assessed regularly.
• Call on the Government and Bradford Council to provide the resources and powers so that our village can make its contribution to the UK's carbon reduction targets and help avert the emergency.

The Neighbourhood Plan has a range of policies that will seek to improve Harden's resilience to the effects of climate change, reduce carbon emissions and promote healthy and active communities.

A Village Action Plan is being produced by Harden Village Council to outline and deliver projects and initiatives that are outside the remit of the Neighbourhood Plan. The Village Council and local community will seek to deliver these in parallel to the Neighbourhood Plan.

COVID-19

Work on the Neighbourhood Plan commenced in 2018 before the global pandemic but during 2020 and 2021 the Neighbourhood Planning group sought to ensure that the Plan reflects and promotes some of the issues the pandemic has raised that has both affected and improved our lives over the last few years.

This includes:

• Access to and maintenance of green spaces for leisure and recreation
• Improved broadband connectivity to support homeworking and learning
• Space to facilitate homeworking
• Community facilities and services
• Improved walking and cycling routes

VISION