Neighbourhood Planning
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Transcript Neighbourhood Planning
Neighbourhood
Planning
April 2012
Planning Division
Department for Communities & Local Government
Giving communities and individuals
more power
• 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
Non-Domestic
Rates
Local Government
Community
Empowerment
Housing
Planning
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
Localism Act - Giving communities and
individuals more power
Through a package of Rights:
• The Right to Plan
• The Right to Build
• The Right to Challenge
• The Right to Buy
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
Planning at neighbourhood level
• 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
Full Planning
Permission
VISION
Outline Planning
Permission
Other Policies
Other Policies
Planning
Policies
Neighbourhood Planning & Right to Build
If there is a parish
or town council
they take the lead
The community wants to shape the growth and
development of where they live
The community applies for a neighbourhood area to be
designated
If no parish or town council, a neighbourhood
forum is designated
Work up details with the community and consult
consultees as appropriate
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
Submit proposals to the local
authority
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
Independent Examination
Opportunity for
consultees to provide
written representations
where major issues
not dealt with above
Local authority checks proposals
Consultees
notified of
outcome
Community referendum
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
•
[email protected] or [email protected]
• Locality
•
•
[email protected] or [email protected]
• RTPI/Planning Aid
•
•
•
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
• NALC/CPRE
•
•
[email protected] or [email protected]
.
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
[email protected]