Ware Neighbourhood Plan | Ware Community

Adopted!

A full Council meeting at EHDC on 13 December voted unanimously to adopt Ware's Neighbourhood Plan.

Planning applications within the Neighbourhood Area will henceforth be assessed using the Plan alongside the East Herts District Plan.
A video of the vote, preceded by a brief debate, is available here.
In voting for the Plan's adoption, the Council was following the recommendations of an executive committee meeting on 28 November 2023, detailed in full here.

Again, to all of you who've made this possible, thank you!

REFERENDUM

Thursday 28th September

We're unashamedly hoping to persuade you to Vote

YES

Polling Stations will be open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday 28th. Can we count on you?

And please remember: the plan covers the existing town, NOT the Ware N&E development. Voting for the Neighbourhood Plan is NOT a vote for the new development.

It's a vote YES for the future of the existing town.

You can access a pdf of the Plan in the panel below. We're obviously not expecting you to read and memorise every single one of its 122 pages. But we'd love you to take a look.

And check out our eminently accessible summary of the Plan in bite-sized chunks too...

A People's Charter

We're almost there. Producing a Neighbourhood Plan is vitally important for the future health, well-being and prosperity of our town - and we believe this is destined to be one of the most important civic documents produced in Ware's 2000+ year history. It effectively lays down a planning template for the future development of the town.

Want to find out more about why Neighbourhood Plans are important? Check out this video...

There's more detail about Neighbourhood Plans and how they work via the "About" tab on the main menu.

Will you help us make this happen?

Ware’s Neighbourhood Plan is designed to:

• Protect the town we love • Protect our open spaces • Protect our Heritage buildings

• Support our shops and businesses.

The Plan has been put together during the last three years by a team of Ware people, supported by our Town Council. Hundreds of Ware residents have contributed their thoughts and ideas. It strengthens planning controls on developments in Ware. Paper copies can be seen at The Priory, Ware Library and Ware Museum

"The focus here is to ensure that there’s a range of general housing designed to meet the needs of people in Ware as they age and their requirements change... The emphasis should be on smaller housing situated close to shops and services, principally in Ware town centre."

bite-sized extract here

"Our policies seek to ensure that new developments in Ware are well-designed. They should also be in keeping with, and where possible enhance, the existing character of the town... The historic assets that contribute to Ware’s character are an irreplaceable resource and should be conserved..."

bite-sized extract here

"At the heart of the draft Plan, there’s a recognition that it must help position Ware as a thriving 21st century market town centre by supporting a sustainable mix of uses, which will encourage footfall throughout the day and into the evening... Mixed-use development proposals will normally be supported..."

bite-sized extract here

"The plan’s environment policies seek to ensure that the multiple benefits of Ware’s green and blue spaces – including their importance in combating pressure on wildlife, habitats, biodiversity and geodiversity and in off-setting the effects of air pollution – are recognised and enhanced..."

bite-sized extract here

"Our transport policies seek to enhance walking and cycling along the routes most likely to effect a shift away from the private car for short journeys in and around Ware... Proposals to improve the flow of traffic and pedestrian safety on key roads in the Neighbourhood Plan area will be strongly supported..."

bite-sized extract here