Volunteers needed to plan villages' future

Volunteers are needed to help plan the future of Old Windsor, Datchet, Wraysbury and Horton.

It's the result of the government's newly passed Localism Bill, which encourages local authorities to let individual areas within their boundaries establish their own locally based 'plans'.

The Royal Borough has already been awarded government funding for five plan areas - one of these covers the four villages. A steering committee has been set up consisting of 12 members, three from each village, to come up with a neighbourhood plan.

But Datchet member Sandra Needham says the committee needs help from volunteer villagers prepared to form 'topic groups' canvassing the views of their neighbours.

She said: "These topic group members will have a lot of work to do, will have to contact a lot of people and will have to put personal opinions to one side in order to report the views of the community as a whole.

"They will specifically look at issues such as housing, business, transport, the environment and community at large. They will determine for themselves how they will work, but will report into the Steering Group to ensure everything links up correctly."

Volunteers can choose their area of interest.

Anyone who lives in one of the villages and would like to help is invited to a meeting on Thursday at the Memorial Hall, Straight Road, Old Windsor at 6.30pm.