Draft Updated Stanford Dingley Parish Design Statement (2025)

Background

Parish, town and village design statements (VDS) are non-statutory documents that are produced by the local community. They describe the distinctive local character of an area and set out principles to guide the design of new development. They cannot be used to stop new development, but they can be used to influence developers and ensure that new buildings respect and reflect existing local character. 

Once adopted by West Berkshire Council, VDS are used to inform and support policies contained within the Local Plan and can be material considerations in the determination of planning applications. 

How was the Stanford Dingley Parish Design Statement developed?

The Stanford Dingley Parish Design Statement is a community-led document that is intended to provide a context for new development and influence the operation of the statutory planning system. It outlines the distinctive visual character of the parish and sets out design principles to help ensure that any new development is in keeping with its surroundings. While it does not determine whether development should occur, that's the role of the Local Plan, it does influence how development should be carried out to positively contribute to the local environment.

The Design Statement was originally published in 2010 and remains available to view  online here [5MB] . In 2022, Stanford Dingley Parish Council agreed that it was in need of updating to reflect the changes of the past 10 years. The update has been undertaken by a Parish Council working group.

An initial draft of the updated Design Statement was prepared in January 2023, and consultation was undertaken with the local community at that time. Further informal consultation was then undertaken with West Berkshire Council (WBC).

The final draft of the updated Parish Design Statement was submitted to WBC earlier in 2025. To ensure that the views of the community are fully considered, it must now undergo a six-week consultation. 

Why we want your views

While much of the content of the updated Parish Design Statement remains the same, it incorporates:

• some factual updates
• expanded descriptions of some buildings and features
• information on developments built post-2010
• some updated design guidelines to reflect current circumstances

The draft update of the Stanford Dingley Parish Design Statement is available to view  online here [286KB] .

How to take part

We welcome your feedback on the draft update of the Parish Design Statement.

Comments may be submitted by email or letter. 

• Email: planningpolicy@westberks.gov.uk
• Post: Planning Policy Team, Council Offices, Market Street, Newbury RG14 5LD

Please include your name and address with your response. Any comments submitted will be made publicly available by West Berkshire Council and will be identifiable by name. However, personal contact details (such as your address and email) will be kept confidential and handled in accordance with our privacy notice [131KB] .

All comments must reach us by 4.30pm on Friday 19 December 2025.

If you have any questions about the consultation, please contact the Planning Policy Team.

What happens next

All comments we receive will be considered and used to help inform the final version of the updated Design Statement.

We will publish a summary of responses received after the consultation has ended on this webpage. 

We anticipate adopting the final version of the updated Stanford Dingley Design Statement in early 2026. Formal adoption will take place through an Individual Executive Member Decision, with the exact date to be confirmed. 

Once adopted, the final version will be published on our Village, Town and Parish Design Statements webpage.