Neighbourhood planning

What is Neighbourhood planning?

Neighbourhood planning gives communities the power to create a vision of their area. It helps them shape and develop growth in their community. The community leads the process instead of the council. The goal is to improve the social, economic, and environmental well-being in the area.

Local communities can choose to:

  • set planning policies through a neighbourhood plan. These policies help to determine planning applications.
  • grant planning permission through Neighbourhood Development Orders and Community Right to Build Orders. This is for specific developments which follow the order.

Neighbourhood planning is not a legal rule. It is a right that communities in England can choose to use. There are other ways of achieving the outcomes a community wants. For example, they can add their proposals into:

  • the Local Plan
  • Local Development Orders and supplementary planning documents
  • pre-application consultation on development proposals.

A community must apply to the council to designate itself as a neighbourhood forum and agree on a neighbourhood area. Once that is done they can begin preparing any of the following:

  • a neighbourhood plan
  • Neighbourhood Development Order
  • Community Right to Build Order

There are legal requirements for choosing a neighbourhood forum and area. The process is subject to consultation.

Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP)

A NDP sets out the policies that assess planning applications. The NDP will become part of the local development plan for the area. This means that they will be used to decide planning applications, including appeals.

Any NDP must support the strategic development needs, as set out in the Local Plan. This includes housing policies and economic development. It cannot be used to block development that is already part of the Local Plan. NDPs can influence where development will go and what it will look like.

Preparing a NDP

Preparing a NDP is a significant task. The community leads the preparation. Below is a summary of the key stages in preparing a NDP:

Step 1: Define your neighbourhood

  • You will need to form a Neighbourhood Forum. You then need to submit a neighbourhood area application to the local planning authority. It must include the proposed boundary of the neighbourhood area.

  • The Neighbourhood Forum must have:

    • a written constitution

    • open membership

    • and comprise of at least 21 individuals.

  • The local authority has the power to change the boundary of the proposed area if it’s thought necessary.

  • The local planning authority will publicise the application for six weeks. It will invite comments.

Step 2: Prepare your plan

If approved, the forum starts preparing the plan. They must engage the community, notify consultees, and build evidence. This is to justify the eventual policies and proposals.

This stage must include a six-week consultation period. This is when the proposals are publicised and responses are considered.

Step 3: An independent check of your plan

A draft plan must then be submitted to the local planning authority. They will publicise the proposals for six weeks. An independent examiner will consider any representations. They will also check it conforms to national and local planning policy. At this stage, changes may be recommended.

Step 4: Community referendum (vote)

Once satisfied with the plan, the local council will organise a referendum. A majority of voters must support the plan for the local planning authority to adopt it.

Step 5: Legal force

The local planning authority will bring the plan into force and publicise its decision. The plan will then become part of the formal development plan for the area.

The role of the council

We are responsible for local planning. We will help make key decisions throughout the process. We will approve the neighbourhood area where the plan will be in effect. We will arrange for an independent exam of the plan and a community vote at the end of the process.

The referendum (or vote) is an important part of the process. It allows those who live in the area to decide whether the following come into effect:

  • Neighbourhood Development Plan
  • Neighbourhood Development Order
  • Community Right to Build Order

This is direct democracy. It stresses the need to work with and gain the wider community's support early in the process. Before starting a NDP, consult our Regeneration and Planning Division.