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Guidance and support for neighbourhood planning

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1. Getting started

Step 1 - Parish/town council agreement

A parish/town council agrees that they should explore the possibility of preparing a Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) for the area.

Step 2 - Contact us

Contact us and we will explore the issues/opportunities in your area.

You may want to think about the following when deciding on whether to provide an NDP: 

  • the key issues that affect the area?
  • what opportunities are there to improve the area?
  • what do you want the area to be like in the future?
  • what aims could you achieve with a Plan?
  • understand the basic principles of Sustainable Development.
  • discuss whether an NDP, a Community/Parish Plan or other model is the most appropriate approach for you
  • meet with representatives of town/parish councils who have completed an NDP, to learn from their experience.

What's the difference between a NDP and a Community/Parish Plan?

  • Neighbourhood Development Plan - focuses on development, land use, community facilities, physical changes, planning polices, granting permission, delivering spatial elements of a community plan
  • Community or Parish Plan - focuses on community aspirations, covering a wide range of general issues that are of interest to the community

Step 3 - Area designation

The parish/town council will need to apply to us in order to designate a Neighbourhood Plan area, submitting:

  • a map identifying the area to which the application relates
  • a statement explaining why this area is considered appropriate to be designated as a Neighbourhood Area
  • a statement that the organisation or body making the area application is a relevant qualifying body for producing a NDP

Applications from Parish or Town Councils where the proposed neighbourhood area consists of the whole of the Parish are not subject to a publicity period prior to area designation.

Area applications which span across parish boundaries will be subject to a minimum six week publicity period.