Overview

Neighbourhood Planning enables Town and Parish Councils or Neighbourhood Forums to prepare, in partnership with the community they represent, a range of initiatives for planning in their local area. These are:

• Neighbourhood Development Plans

These are community-led Plans to guide the future development and growth of an area. They relate to the use and development of land and allow communities to establish general planning policies. They can   influence the type, design, location and mix of new development in the Plan area. When adopted they sit alongside other development plans for the district (for example the Local Plan).

• Neighbourhood Development Orders.

These orders can be used to grant planning permission for a site, or a specific type of development (for example housing or retail uses). The orders can apply to all or part of a Neighbourhood Area. When this is done there is no need to get planning permission from the District Council.

• Community Right to Build Orders.

These can be prepared by town or parish councils or local community organisations that meet certain requirements. The Orders grant planning permission for small scale, site-specific, community led developments that benefit the community.

The first stage in developing a neighbourhood plan is to designate the 'neighbourhood area' that it will cover. Once a neighbourhood area has been established, a neighbourhood plan may be developed for that area. There is quite a lot of work required to do this, including gathering evidence and submitting it for endorsement by an inspector. A neighbourhood plan is the subject of a local referendum before being adopted.

However, in all cases, it is suggested that contact should be made with our Planning Policy team who will be happy to discuss the potential approaches with you.

Our Statement of Community Involvement sets out the advice and assistance that we will give to groups wanting to become involved in developing neighbourhood planning documents.

However, our Neighbourhood Planning Protocol is a more in depth document, containing a wealth of background information on neighbourhood planning. It is therefore recommended that any group interested in pursuing a neighbourhood planning initiative starts by reading the Protocol.

For further information see the Gov.uk web page on Neighbourhood Planning.

If you have any queries please contact Jim Fieldsend by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or telephone 01246 242472