New Local Plan Set to Shape West Berkshire

Just over a year after West Berkshire Council adopted its Local Plan for 2023 to 2041, it now has to write another one.

The Government's new housing requirement and the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 mean a fresh plan is needed.

The upcoming creation of Ridgeway Council on 1 April 2028, merging West Berkshire with South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse, means the new plan must dovetail into cross-boundary infrastructure and either be superseded by or integrated into a wider blueprint.

The council is asking for views on delivery of new homes, support for the local economy, infrastructure to support growth, and protection of West Berkshire's built, historic and natural environments.

After the Liberal Democrat administration won control in 2024 it reviewed the inherited plan, saying it was 'flawed'. Opposition groups and residents associations lobbied the Department for Levelling Up after the council announced its withdrawal plan, which cost council tax payers about £1.6m.

Housing minister Lee Rowley MP said the department would take "further intervention action" if an up-to-date Local Plan was not in place.

Under the new plan-making system West Berkshire has started preparing the West Berkshire Local Plan (WBLP). It will set the long-term vision and planning framework for homes, employment, infrastructure and environmental protection, and will replace last year's plan once adopted.

The council must have a first draft by October, with initial consultation running until the end of September. The final plan is due by October 2028, six months after the proposed formation of Ridgeway Council.

Niki Hinman, Local Democracy Reporter