[Skip to content]

.

Guide to Planning Policy Consultations

 Finding out what people think of planning policies we write is a very important part of the planning process. It is so important in fact that we are now required to write a ‘Statement of Community Involvement’ which sets out all of the different methods we will use to consult you on various issues. Below are some of the areas of planning you will typically be asked to give your opinion on:

Planning Policies

Development Plan Documents (DPDs)

These policies deal with planning issues on a large scale. As a result they have three stages of consultation:

  • Initial Options: Where the public are asked what they consider to be the most important issues.

  • Preferred Options: Where the public are presented with a range of different scenarios and asked to comment on the merits and disadvantages of each one.
  • Submission Consultation: This is where the Council has written the final draft of a planning policy. By this stage all necessary changes should have been made to the document taking into account those views offered by the public. At this stage only comments regarding the ‘soundness’ of a document can be made.

Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs)

 These planning policies support the bigger plans we make in DPDs by providing extra guidance on specific issues e.g. improving Wokingham Town Centre.

  • SPDs have one round of consultation which lasts for 6 weeks.    

 

Improvements and Developing New Communities

 As the Council formulates plans to improve some areas of the Wokingham Borough and develop new communities, we will ask for your opinion on matters such as what places should look like and what sort of things you’d like in them. Consultations will be carried out in a number of ways including public workshops and responses posted on Facebook Groups.