The future of Braishfield
We are all aware of the number of houses that are being built our side of Romsey and many of us wonder what the future of the village might be.
The village has recently completed a Village Design Statement. This gives guidelines on aspects of the design of any new development.
In June, the Parish Council sent out a survey to decide whether or not they should also embark on a Neighbourhood Plan. Of those who voted there was a 4 to 1 majority in favour of creating one.
The Neighbourhood Plan is a planning document that the local community can rely on with regard to responding to planning applications and thus will help shape the future of Braishfield. It goes beyond a Village Design Statement and outlines policies for how and where any development can take place. Should it purely be in the current settlement boundary or are there other possible areas for housing? Are there areas which should be protected?
A steering group has been formed and along with professional advisors, will attempt to create such a plan. If anyone else would like to join the group, please contact np@Braishfield.org. They would be very welcome.
The plan is entirely based on the opinion of villagers, so the first stage is to find what people think of the village as a place to live: what they find is good about it so should be preserved and encouraged, and what is not good so should be improved. This opinion gathering has now been finished.