Wimbledon is changing rapidly. It has been identified as an opportunity area for development in the London Plan published by the Mayor of London, the retail environment has been hit by the increase in online shopping, we are facing a climate emergency requiring urgent action…. and now unprecedented economic and social consequences of a global pandemic. The new power for communities to create neighbourhood plans gives us a chance to come together as a community in shaping the Wimbledon we all want for the future. Such a plan, prepared by the people of Wimbledon through a democratic process, will give statutory weight to our vision of a sustainable neighbourhood.
The Localism Act 2011 ensures that our plan’s policies, if successfully approved at a referendum, will be applied as part of the legal framework used in deciding whether a planning application is approved, rejected or modified. Working together to prepare a neighbourhood plan for Wimbledon is an opportunity we can not afford to miss, especially in the context of a world threatened by the urgent issue of climate change.