Preston Parish Neighbourhood Plan 2018 - 2031 - February 2019

Foreword

In a relatively short timescale for such a huge body of work, the Preston Parish Neighbourhood Plan has been developed to make Preston a great place to live, now and for future generations. It covers the whole area of the Parish for the time period to 2031.

The Localism Act, which came into being in November 2011, devolves greater powers to councils and neighbourhoods. Neighbourhood Plans come out of the Government's determination to ensure that local communities are closely involved in the decisions that affect them, hence the theme adopted for the Plan of Our Parish - Our Future - Our Say.

The Preston Parish Neighbourhood Plan has been developed to establish a vision for the whole Parish and to help deliver the local community's wishes and needs for the plan period 2018 – 2031. The Neighbourhood Plan is a statutory document that will be incorporated into the District Planning Framework and must be used by North Herts District Council in determining planning applications. As well as policies for housing and development needs, the vision and objectives include plans for social and environmental issues such as transport, landscape, heritage and wildlife.

Our plan has been produced by a Steering Group, acting on behalf of the Parish Council, incorporating the views of the residents of the Parish of Preston. The Preston Parish Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group has consulted and listened to the community on a wide range of issues that will influence the wellbeing, sustainability and long-term preservation of our small rural community. Every effort has been made to make sure that the views and policies contained in our Neighbourhood Plan reflect those of the majority of the residents of the Parish.

By consulting with North Herts District Council and other key stakeholders, we have ensured that the Neighbourhood Plan conforms to the objectives of the Localism Act 2011. Once the Plan has been made, following a favourable local referendum, it will sit alongside North Herts District Council's Local Plan. Both of these will be used when deciding where development should take place and the type and quality of that development.

On behalf of Preston Parish Council, I would like to express my sincere thanks to the Steering Group:

• Wally Steele (Chairman)
• Di Day (Vice Chair)
• Margaret Trinder (Parish Council Liaison)
• Fay Higgin (Clerk)
• Malcolm Gomm
• Alexandra Higgin
• Liz Hunter
• Rae Reynolds

who have worked tremendously hard for the past two and a half years to produce this Plan.

My sincere thanks also to the many others, too numerous to mention here, who have been involved in and committed to the production of our Neighbourhood Plan. They are named and their inputs acknowledged in Appendix A of the Plan.

John Healey

Chairman, Preston Parish Council
February 2019