Areas across the Parish are represented and we will work hard to make sure the various neighbourhoods, hamlets and villages are represented.
Villages and hamlets include: Bray, Holyport, Bray Wick (part), Water Oakley, Oakley Green, Moneyrow Green, Stud Green, Foxley Green, Touchen End, Braywoodside and Hawthorn Hill. The outskirts of Windsor and Maidenhead extend into the Parish, including urban extension along A308, off Harvest Hill Rd.
Every neighbourhood in the Parish matters. You can also see a map of the area here.
No. Bray Parish's Neighbourhood Plan cannot stop development that meets housing need and is required through national policy and RBWM's Borough Local Plan. What it can do is help shape the detail of development — what it looks like, and how well it meets our community's needs — and it will be used by RBWM when deciding planning applications in the parish.
No. It becomes part of the statutory development plan, so the Royal Borough of Maidenhead and Windsor (RBWM) and must be consistent with it and with national planning policy. Its job is to add real local value — responding to Bray's own circumstances — not repeat what national or borough policy already covers. Together, national, borough and parish policy form the framework used to decide planning applications.
RBWM are currently preparing a new Local Plan to support sustainable growth across the borough and safeguarding the environment. You can find out more on the RBWM website.
Yes. Neighbourhood Plans can, and should, be reviewed and updated to reflect changing circumstances, new national policy and local priorities.
For green spaces, identify the space on our interactive map and it could be included for strong protection in the Neighbourhood Plan if it meets criteria. Add your green space on the interactive map here.
For trees, you can contact the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead to establish if a Tree Protection Order could be applied to the tree or group of trees.
The two villages of Bray and Holyport are both covered in part by Conservation Areas.
You can find out more detail about them on the RBWM website or on the documents page of this website.
You can look up information about designated listed buildings and structures on the National Heritage List for England (NHLE). This is the only official, up to date register of all nationally protected historic buildings and sites in England.
In the Neighbourhood Plan we can also add detail about locally valued, but non-designated heritage.
Yes - much of the Parish is in the Green Belt (nearly 95%). You can see maps that show the planning constraints on the documents page.
The National Planning Policy Framework sets out the great importance attached to land identified as Green Belt, the objective of which is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open.
Grey belt is a category of land within the Green Belt. Land that doesn’t strongly contribute to the purposes of the Green Belt may be identified as Grey Belt.
A spatial development strategy or local planning authority may review Green Belt land, identify areas that meet the Grey Belt definition, and determine whether that land should be released from the Green Belt or allocated for development to meet housing need through a new plan. Grey Belt could also be established through a planning application or appeal.
Neighbourhood plans cannot carry out Green Belt reviews however, neighbourhood plans could amend Green Belt boundaries where the need for change has been established but not addressed through the Local Plan, and can include local policies to influence how development proposed at any location in the parish happens.
The area of Bray Parish is bordered by three major highways M4, A308M, A404M, and has two main arterial roads, the A308 and A330, passing through the Parish. As such the area is served by main roads with origins and destinations beyond the bounds of the Parish and even beyond the bounds of the Royal Borough. A relevant characteristic is that all the A and B roads are single lane in both directions. This feature creates significant problems of congestion, excessive use by heavy goods vehicles 'in transit' and associated issues of speed and safety. Population growth, concentrated in areas immediately adjacent to the A roads, has made the problems worse.
The main issues around traffic cannot be tackled through the Neighbourhood Plan policies, but we can outline the issues in our Plan and make clear that traffic and congestion needs to be addressed, and where possible improved.
In simple terms a Neighbourhood Plan is designed to give a greater local level say in how development happens. A Neighbourhood Plan is designed to ensure that when development happens, it puts the needs of the community to the fore. In essence, a Neighbourhood Plan shapes, directs and helps to influence local planning decisions.
Whilst it can’t address issues such as traffic, It can help protect and enhance Bray's villages and their distinct character, our heritage, countryside and green spaces that make the parish what it is.
No. Every planning application is considered on its own merits. Once adopted, the Neighbourhood Plan becomes part of the legal development plan for the parish — and RBWM, not the Parish Council, will continue to be the one deciding planning applications, using the Plan alongside national and borough policy.
Yes. Community feedback helps identify local priorities and ensures the Plan reflects what matters most to people who live and work in Bray. A Steering Group made of local residents will be overseeing the whole process. Residents will also get a vote on the Plan at referendum.
That's true — Bray's first attempt (2013–2018) wasn't completed. This time, the Steering Group is starting from a settled Borough Local Plan and clearer national policy, so the Plan can be built on solid ground from day one — and the lessons from the first attempt can be applied directly this time round.
More questions? Email us: hello@brayneighbourhoodplan.com.