April 2012
Planning Division
Department for Communities & Local Government

• Principles of neighbourhood planning
• Process of neighbourhood planning
• Progress with legislation
• Front-Runners –emerging messages
• Support update

The localism Act
Made up of a number of interlinked policy themes with over 40 policy areas
Local Government
Non-Domestic
Rates
Community
Empowerment
Planning
Housing
London

“When people know that they will get proper support to cope with the demands of new development; when they have a proper say over what new homes will look like; and when they can influence where those homes go, they have reasons to say “yes” to growth .”
•Greg Clark MP, 18/11/10

Neighbourhood Planning
• What is new ? Real statutory weight
• Building on the best of community-led planning
• Community-led – reduced LPA discretion
• All existing tools remain available
• The Basic Conditions
• Shaping not stopping development

• The Government is giving neighbourhoods far more ability to determine the shape of the places in which people live through
‘neighbourhood plans’.
• Empower communities – residents and business- to take control of the future of their areas
• Neighbourhood led
• Proportionate and robust – real power and safeguards
• Flexible - inspire innovation and creativity
• Pro-growth - exploring ways of enabling community supported development
• Critical role for local plan in setting strategic context
• New basis for partnership work with local authority

Flexibility- putting neighbourhoods in control
For neighbourhood to decide what a neighbourhood plan contains – plans are flexible to address different needs and expectations
Other Policies
Full Planning
Permission
VISION
Outline Planning
Permission
Planning
Policies
Other Policies

Neighbourhood Planning & Right to Build
The community wants to shape the growth and development of where they live
The community applies for a neighbourhood area to be designated
If there is a parish or town council they take the lead
If no parish or town council, a neighbourhood forum is designated
Work up details with the community and consult consultees as appropriate
Submit proposals to the local authority
Independent Examination
The examiner is checking the basic conditions – a plan or order must:
• have an appropriate fit with local and national policy;
• have special regard for listed buildings and conservation areas;
• be compatible with European and equality / human rights obligations
• Contribute to sustainable development
Consultees notified of outcome
For Right to Build the process is instigated by a
‘community organisation’ where the community decides it wants to bring forward specific development proposals for the benefit of the community
Local authority checks proposals
Community referendum
Opportunity for consultees to provide written representations where major issues not dealt with above
Make a plan or order
A simple majority is required here

Legislation – progress
• Localism Act Royal Assent - November 2011
• 6 April 2012 brings in all neighbourhood planning provisions (with exception of referendums) e.g. duty to support
• Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 - commence 6 April 2012
• We are working towards ensuring that regulations on the holding of neighbourhood planning referendums will commence from summer / autumn
2012.
• Anticipate business neighbourhood planning referendum regulations will happen later 2012/early 2013

Front Runner programme
• Five ‘waves’ of frontrunners with over 200 Neighbourhood Planning
Front Runner projects
• On 5 March we announced 108 schemes under the fifth wave of Front
Runners
• Over two thirds of Front Runners are led by Parish/Town Councils
• Over 100 local authorities are now working with communities on neighbourhood planning
• Recently spoken to majority of front runner community leads for waves 1 – 4 to hear about progress and emerging lessons.
• No immediate plans for another front runner wave.

Key messages from Front-Runners
• Existing parish arrangements helpful in giving a head start ; but neighbourhood planning works outside of parishes
• Communities have found neighbourhood planning more difficult than they envisaged and it is taking them longer than they first thought. First steps often the hardest .
• Found LPAs to be generally supportive.
• Content of neighbourhood plans – strong focus on provision of affordable housing, public realm, town centre regeneration.
• Motivations – many involved because they want to ‘improve my local area’ .
Some groups emerged from anti-development protest. But most see neighbourhood planning process as helpful – an opportunity to be proactive about planning in their local area, rather than reactive. Positive about having the power ‘to get on with it’ and bring benefits to local area for long-term.

Support for communities
• The Department made available £3.2 million in 2011-12 as part of the
Supporting Communities in Neighbourhood Planning programme
• We want to make sure that neighbourhood planning is a success. We have taken the decision to review now the support that is in place.
• Whilst we carry out the review and consider what is needed for the future we have taken the decision to continue to fund the existing support organisations for a further four months (until end July).

Other support
• Committed to providing up to £50 million to local councils until
March 2015 to make neighbourhood planning a success
• Published an easy to understand guide to Neighbourhood Planning
(available at http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/introdu ctionneighbourplanninge ) and frequently asked questions (available at http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/209
9152.pdf).
• We recognise communities and others may need some additional guidance - considering the most appropriate means of providing this.

Support Organisations
• The Prince’s Foundation
•
James.hulme@princes-foundation.org
or Louise.boddington@princesfoundation.org
• Locality
•
•
Dave.Chapman@Locality.org.uk
or Karen.Mellanby@Locality.org.uk
• RTPI/Planning Aid
• Jas.Mahil@rtpi.org.uk
•
Robert.Keith@planningaid.rtpi.org.uk
•
John.Romanski@planningaid.rtpi.org.uk
• NALC/CPRE
•
•
FionaH@cpre.org.uk
or justin.griggs@nalc.gov.uk
.

Neighbourhood Planning
• What is new ? Real statutory weight
• Building on the best of community-led planning
• Community-led – reduced LPA discretion
• All existing tools remain available
• The Basic Conditions
• Shaping not stopping development