Toddington Village Magazine article, published Aug/Sept 2025
A Neighbourhood Plan (NP) is a Community led initiative, independent of both the Local Authority and Parish Council (although our initiative is fully supported by the PC and funded by it). We are a group of local Toddington residents who believe in a bright future for our village — a future that we must all help to shape, enhance and protect for the benefit of those who live here now, and will live here in the future.
We’d like to thank everyone for their support and feedback so far at recent events, including the football fun day, village fête and the very well attended drop-in sessions recently held in The Wilkinson Hall.
The level of interest and engagement has been amazing and truly encouraging. It’s clear that people care deeply about what happens in Toddington — not just today, but in the years to come. To help us build a strong and meaningful plan, we are asking all residents (and anyone who has an interest in the Designated Area*) to continue sharing their thoughts and feelings. You might consider the following as prompts for your response:
- Housing – What types of homes do we need? How can we ensure new development is affordable, appropriate, and in keeping with the village’s character?
- Green Spaces & Heritage – Which local places matter most to you? How can we better protect our parks, fields, footpaths, trees, and historic buildings?
- Transport & Infrastructure – What are your concerns or hopes for roads, parking, public transport, cycling routes, and broadband connectivity?
- Local Economy, Education and Wellbeing – How can we support our shops, services, schools and local businesses to thrive in the future?
- Sustainability – What would make Toddington more environmentally friendly and resilient for future generations?
A Neighbourhood Plan once Adopted*, becomes a legal document that must be considered when deciding Planning Applications. It gives us — the people who live here — real influence over how Toddington evolves.
The NP process is set out under the National and Local Planning Frameworks and, as such, we need to follow a predetermined approach. We have had a very encouraging response to our plea for help and support – and we will be contacting everyone who left their details in due course to explain how we think we can involve you. Please bear with us – we are all volunteers, doing our best to steer the project.
* Please refer to our website for further details.
www.toddingtonplan.co.uk or contact us via our email address: Info@toddingtonplan.co.uk
For more information, background details, and to have your say, please visit our website or contact us directly. The website is evolving and will soon have a lot more detail added. We have been asked about previous attempts that have been made to get a NP Adopted. You can see these on our website. Unfortunately, these attempts faltered so the village has never had an Adopted plan.
We want to work with the broader community of Toddington to ensure that our beautiful village grows in a way that reflects our shared values, respects its Heritage and meets the needs of those who live and work in the area – now and in the future.
Thank you.
Neighbourhood Plan Steering Committee
