Tilehurst Neighbourhood Plan

Tilehurst Neighbourhood Plan is a shared vision for the future of Tilehurst. Please browse the website to find out more, and sign up for our newsletter to keep up to date.

Steering Group Meetings

by · November 6, 2023

The Steering Group has been meeting every month since we started this project many years ago. These meetings have always been open to the public (even when we had to do them on Zoom during the Covid lockdowns) and it has been great to meet everyone, answer your questions and hear your views. Together with the more formal mechanism (the surveys, public meetings and regulation 14 consultation), these meetings have kept the Steering Group focussed on delivering a Plan that works for the whole community.

Following the Regulation 14 consultation we have updated the document to reflect many of the suggestions and comments we received. While the substance and principles of the document have not changed, we have incorporated many formatting and structural changes to make it easier to read, and fixed many grammatical oversights in the original draft.

We are finalizing the accompanying “Consultation Document” and “Basic Conditions” document. As soon as these are ready, the Parish Council has approved the document for submission to West Berkshire Council. We’ll be posting the finalized documents here at the same time.

This means the Steering Group has effectively completed the task set for it by Tilehurst Parish Council and we will be suspending our regular meetings. We will remain on standby, ready and willing to answer any questions from West Berkshire Council- or, indeed, any members of the community.

Thank you for your support so far and looking forward to the next step towards the referendum.

Map of Tilehurst Parish



What is a Neighbourhood Plan?

In simple terms, a Neighbourhood Plan is a framework that allows local people to deliver a balanced and sustainable future for the benefit of all who live in, work in and visit our parish. It can be used to

  • Develop a shared vision for the neighbourhood
  • Choose where new homes, shops and offices should be built
  • Identify and protect local green spaces
  • Influence what new buildings should look like; e.g. design standards and materials
  • Promote renewable energy projects such as solar and wind turbines

Why do we need a Plan in Tilehurst?

There are three main reasons;

  • A Neighbourhood Plan has statutory force when it comes to planning decisions. Having an approved and adopted plan gives a community considerably more power to resist development that is unwelcome or ill-considered.
  • Communities with a Neighbourhood Plan have greater access to and control over any planning and gain funding tied to local development. (formerly Section 106 funds, now known as the CIL or Community Infrastructure Levy)
  • Tilehurst has for many years suffered from the lack of any coherent development without a vision or strategy for itself. As a result, the area has seen piecemeal development that has created more problems than it solved and contributed to overloading of our basic infrastructure. The Neighbourhood Plan process is an opportunity for people who live and work in the village to stop this trend by creating a shared vision and strategy for theTilehurst Parish area that cannot be ignored.

What happens if we don’t do it?

Planning decisions continue to be made by the Local Authority as they are now, where local people have little influence.

Putting the Plan together: the Steering Group

The production of the Neighbourhood Plan is being led by a Steering Group formed by members of the community including local residents, business owners and Tilehurst Parish Council.

A key part of the Steering Group’s role is to ensure that the greatest possible consultation takes place with the community, so that the final plan is genuinely shaped by local residents and represents their views. It is doing this through community events, consultations and surveys, social media and website activities. Consultation is also required with West Berkshire Council and other interest groups and stakeholders.

The process involves a number of stages including:

  • development of a 'Vision' for the Parish
  • formulation of planning policies which will apply to the future development of the Parish
  • independent review of the draft Plan
  • the finalisation of the Plan
  • adoption via a referendum
  • implementation of the Plan

To ensure good practice and transparency, the Steering Group will adhere to a written constitution. Minutes of the Steering Group meetings are publicly available on this website, together with a list of the current members.

Get involved

The whole philosophy behind the Neighbourhood Plan, and a key objective, is the involvement of the local community in planning decisions that affect us all.

Local volunteers will provide a major contribution to the plan’s development. There are many tasks to be completed, many of which require no special skills other than enthusiasm and an interest in the future of Tilehurst. These include delivering leaflets, displaying posters, carrying out research, conducting interviews with local residents and businesses, assisting with community consultations, taking photographs, producing maps and writing the plan itself.

We would also be keen to hear from any local residents who can offer professional advice or support on planning or other related issues.

If you are interested in helping, please get in touch with your name and contact details, together with a note of any special skills or interests you have that may be of particular use to the team.