Barkway and Nuthampstead Neighbourhood Plan 2018 - 2031

I have been lucky enough to live in Barkway on and off for over 50 years and many of us in the villages of Barkway and Nuthampstead would like to preserve the character of the villages we love as best we can, even though times change.

Under the Localism Act of 2011, communities can shape development in their areas through the production of a Neighbourhood Plan and this is what we now seek to do.

The Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group, on behalf of Barkway Parish Council and Nuthampstead Parish Meeting, has produced a Neighbourhood Plan using residents' opinions and comments from the consultations, events, questionnaires and meetings gathered over the last five years.

The Neighbourhood Plan combines environmental and housing development policies to deliver on the aspirations we all have for Barkway and Nuthampstead. We are particularly keen on:

• Influencing the design and layout of new housing development
• Ensuring that new builds are sustainable
• Protecting views and important open spaces in our village
• Carrying out improvements to road safety
• Protecting our heritage assets

This Neighbourhood Plan represents our community's values: preserving the past yet serving the present and, importantly, anticipating the future of our villages.

Barkway was full of coaching inns in times gone by, yet it is well preserved and widely appreciated not only by those of us living here, but by visitors from far and wide. It is important that any future development is carefully managed and this is what our Neighbourhood Plan sets out to do. I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in the preparation of the plan for the hard work they have put in.

Nuthampstead is a small hamlet with wonderful views over the Hertfordshire countryside and a colourful history, including being amongst one of the few small parcels of land to be retained by the Saxon nobility after 1066 and playing an important role during WWII as a USAAF air base.

Nicholas Tufton