What is a neighbourhood Plan?

It is a planning document created by a parish or town council or a neighbourhood forum, which sets out the vision for the neighbourhood area, and contains policies for the development and use of land in the area.

Areas which are covered by a Neighbourhood Plan are:

 Housing and Design

 The Historic Environment

 Transport

 The Natural Environment

 Community infrastructure

For each of these areas working groups will be established made up of members of the community and perhaps including Parish Councillors. From each of these groups there will be a member who is part of a steering group who will meet periodically with the overall responsibility of putting together the plan and reporting back to the full Parish Council. To produce a robust plan capable of passing through a referendum requires strong community involvement. 

Neighbourhood plans must be subjected to an independent examination to confirm that they meet legal requirements, and then to a local referendum. If approved by a majority vote of the local community, the neighbourhood plan will then form part of the statutory development plan.

If you would like to be involved or are just curious to find out more, there are a couple of step-by-step guides. The Locality Neighbourhood Plans Roadmap Guide and from the CPRE – How to shape where you live – a Guide to Neighbourhood Planning are both worth reading.