Wootton St Lawrence and Ramsdell Neighbourhood Plan 

 Our Parish is set to see a substantial amount of new development in the next decade as the Basingstoke and
Deane Local Plan allocation of land for approximately 3400 new homes together with schools and other facilities
is largely within the Neighbourhood Plan Area. This development at Manydown will follow the principles of Garden
Towns. However, it is acknowledged it will impact beyond the development area such as increased traffic on our
country lanes, Manydown’s new residents seeking access to the surrounding farmland as well the visual impacts of
a development of this scale, including light pollution. Concerns over these impacts on our Parish have figured highly
in the comments of local residents.
Following the initial stage of community engagement the following overarching objective for the Neighbourhood Plan
was agreed:
‘To maintain the rural character and identity of Wootton St Lawrence Parish, preserving and enhancing our valued
landscapes, listed buildings and conservation area as well as building a stronger sense of community.’
However, we recognise that pressure for development – whether new housing, extensions to existing homes or
related to employment activities, including agriculture, will continue outside the Manydown development area. Given
the level of new housing development already proposed for the Parish, our Plan has not sought to allocate further
land for new housing. We acknowledge there can be opportunities within our settlements for sensitively-designed
new homes within otherwise built up frontages and which do not detract from the character of their surroundings.
The Parish Council will use the Plan to inform the recommendations it makes to the Borough Council on planning
applications. The Plan itself sits alongside the Basingstoke and Deane Local Plan to become what is known as
the Development Plan. The Borough Council is required by statute to reach its decisions in accordance with the
Development Plan. On behalf of the Parish Council I thank the members of the Working Group for their hard work
and commitment to seeing this Plan through from its inception.
Sarah Curtis
Chairman, Wootton St Lawrence Parish Council