Areas of neighbourhood planning
Neighbourhood planning can cover any one of these three distinct areas, neighbourhood development plan, neighbourhood development order and community right to build order.
Neighbourhood development plan
Neighbourhood development plans are commonly known as neighbourhood plans. Communities can use a neighbourhood plan to create a vision for their area, establishing general planning policies for the development and use of land. This could be where new homes should be built and what types of materials should be used, or where public open space should be located and how it will be maintained. The plan must be in conformity with national planning policy and the strategic policies of the adopted development plan, and cannot reduce the amount or change the type of development planned for in the development plan.
You can find the current status of specific neighbourhood plans on our neighbourhood planning page.
Neighbourhood development order
Communities will have the power to grant planning permission for certain types of development in their area, such as residential extensions, without the need to seek formal planning permission from us. As with a neighbourhood plan, a neighbourhood development order must meet certain conditions, such as conforming to national policies and strategic local policies.
Community right to build order
This is a specific type of neighbourhood development order which enables a community, such as a community interest company or community land trust to bring forward specific developments within their area. Any benefits which these schemes bring will remain within the community to be used for maintaining or enhancing community facilities.
Who prepares neighbourhood plans
Only the parish or town council can lead in preparing a neighbourhood plan. In areas where there is no parish or town council a neighbourhood forum must be designated before a neighbourhood plan can be prepared.
A neighbourhood forum must be made up of a minimum of 21 people who live, work or do business in the neighbourhood area.
Neighbourhood areas
A neighbourhood area is an area that will be covered by the neighbourhood plan. It is recommended that the neighbourhood area is the same as the parish or town council area, but any area can be designated as a neighbourhood area. They can cover areas that are smaller than the parish or town council area, they can even include more than one parish or cross local authority boundaries. However, there will need to be an agreement between all the parish and/or town councils to be covered by the neighbourhood area. You will also need to explain why the area is suitable for a neighbourhood plan. If the area is not the same as a single parish or town council area then a consultation process will be needed before the area can be designated.
In areas where there is no parish or town council and no neighbourhood forum then you must apply for both area and forum designation at the same time.
In all cases, it is important to discuss your proposals with us, prior to applying for area designation. Contact us to discuss your proposals.