Neighbourhood planning

Community-led planning

The Localism Act introduces the following new types of community-led planning:

• Neighbourhood Development Plan – sets out policies on the development and use of land and forms part of the local plan
• Neighbourhood Development Order – grants planning permission for a specific location
• Community Right to Build Order – provides for community led site development

Neighbourhood Development Plans

These will set out a vision for an area and planning policies for the use and development of land. The Councils policies in the Local Plan will set the context within which neighbourhood plans will sit. Neighbourhood plans will be about local rather than strategic issues, for example, where new shops, offices or homes should go or how a development site allocated in the Local Plan should come forward. Neighbourhood plans need to be compatible with national policies and the policies in the Council’s local plan. They should be focused on guiding development and cannot be used to block development. If a neighbourhood plan is adopted it will become a statutory plan and be used in making decisions on planning applications.

As an alternative to Neighbourhood Plans, Business Neighbourhood Plans can be developed in areas which are dominated by business interests.

Neighbourhood Development Orders

These can grant planning permission for specified developments in a neighbourhood area, for example, certain types of household extensions, shop fronts, ‘green energy’ proposals. Where there is a neighbourhood development order in place there would be no need to apply to the Council for planning permission for the development it covers.

Community Right to Build Orders

Appropriately constituted community groups will be able to identify land for new, small scale development such as new homes, shops or other community facilities.

Preparing a Neighbourhood Plan

Please click here for information on Preparing a Neighbourhood Plan

Local Planning Authority Support

The Council will provide support and advice to the organisation preparing the Neighbourhood Plan, but it is up to the Parish/Town Council or Neighbourhood Forum to prepare the Neighbourhood Plan.

The Council, in conjunction with Planning Aid England, organised a Neighbourhood Planning Event in Summer 2012, to which a number of Parish and Town Councillors attended.

If you are interested in finding out more, or are thinking about developing a Neighbourhood Plan, please contact the Strategic Planning Team.

Further Guidance

Guidance and advice is also available from the government and other bodies from the following links:

Department for Communities and Local Government 

Planning Advisory Service Guidance 

Locality. Communities Ambitious for change