Wilsden Neighbourhood Plan 2020-2038

VISION AND OBJECTIVES

Challenges and Opportunities

The Plan seeks to address and shape, as far as is possible, the development challenges and opportunities that face the Parish of Wilsden over the coming years.

Consultation with the community identified the following challenges for the area that the Plan might seek to address:

• Preservation of the area's rich heritage including environmental and historical artefacts
• Coalescence of settlements
• Loss of community

A number of potential opportunities were identified by the community and Steering Group to address these challenges through the Plan, and include:

• Identification and protection of non-designated, locally important heritage assets
• Identification of Special Character Areas coupled with design principles to ensure high quality development
• Retaining the physical and visual separation between Wilsden and the surrounding settlements
• Maintain and enhance the services that make Wilsden a strong community

Vision

The Plan has at its heart a vision and core objectives that are based on key issues raised by local people in order to ensure that Wilsden remains the vibrant, distinct, self-contained and forward looking parish that it is.

Objectives

Underpinning the vision are nine core objectives. The objectives provide the focus for the Plan and seek to realise the vision.

• Support the delivery of housing which meets the present and future needs of the community, delivers high quality design, is sympathetic to the character and history of the Parish and is of right type and in the right location.
• Manage and influence development to minimise its impact on the natural and built environment and ensure that it supports the attractive and distinctive character of the Parish.
• Support the maintenance of the separation between the villages and hamlets both within the Wilsden Parish and the neighbouring parishes of Sandy Lane, Harden and Cullingworth to help ensure the retention of their distinct and historic identities.
• Aim to retain important local leisure and community facilities, retail and employment provision, and wherever possible, enhance them.
• Conserve and enhance biodiversity especially for the important green spaces, which are valuable to the community and wildlife.
• Ensure that the distinctive rural landscape, settlement pattern, historic buildings and biodiversity are protected and enhanced.
• Create an environment that makes it attractive for the self-employed and small and medium-sized businesses and shops to locate and flourish.
• Support public transport, walking and cycling and address the problems of traffic congestion and the lack of parking along Main Street and on some other roads.
• Reinforce and support the role of the Wilsden Village Centre as the hub and focus of local shopping, community and leisure activities.