neighbourhood planning networking evening 20 th november 2012 sophie davies communities and

Neighbourhood Planning Networking Evening

20th November 2012

Sophie DaviesCommunities andPlaces Manager

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Blake PainLeicestershire County Councillor

Harborough District Councillor

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Mick Duggan

Department for Communities and Local Government

Mick Duggan

Decentralisation and Neighbourhood Planning

DCLG

Leicestershire Neighbourhood Planning Networking Event

“We are clear that local people - and local authorities - must be at the heart of planning. The Localism Act has put the power to plan back in the hands of communities, but with this power comes responsibility: a responsibility to meet their needs for development and growth, and to deal quickly and effectively with proposals that will deliver homes, jobs and facilities.”

Eric Pickles, 6 September 2012

Summary

• Fundamentals of neighbourhood planning

• Postcards from the front (runners)

• What we’re hearing• Support and funding• Working with DCLG

Neighbourhoods are the starting point

• Where involvement starts• Building blocks of society• Already a tremendous amount happening• Planning has a very direct impact

Fundamentals

• Neighbourhood led with important role

for councils• Proportionate & robust: real power

& safeguards• Pro-growth: enabling community

supported development• New basis for partnership work between

residents, business, developers/landowners and councils

Why get involved?

Neighbourhood planning is...

• Empowering for communities

• A chance to determine the shape of the places in which people live and work

• An opportunity to produce a plan with real statutory weight

• An opportunity to turn ambitions into reality through a development order

• An opportunity to build new and improve existing partnerships

• Flexible, and inspires innovation and creativity

• Not just about residents planning their area – community involves all those with an interest in the development of the area

• Creating more positive working relationships between residents, business and local councils – it is bringing people together and breaking down barriers

Why get involved?

Neighbourhood planning is not...

• Only for rural areas and parish councils• A system which requires very comprehensive technical plans

– neighbourhood plans can be as concise or as comprehensive as communities want and address just a few simple concerns or a range of very complex planning issues

• A legal requirement – it is a right which communities can choose to exercise

• A system that is only for technical planning specialists• A system to stop development happening• Just about neighbourhood development plans

Front runners

Liverpool Innovation Park (Liverpool)

• Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, Innovation Park & City Council working together

• Neighbourhood plan led by Park landowners but involving many other businesses operating there

• Early stage, discussing issues plan will address what neighbourhood area and forum should be

Landowners value n’hood planning as attracting new investors. Want to explore NDO to attract investment and provide a simplified, pro-growth framework for planning permission in the Park.

• Expect to apply for area and forum designation October 2012 with examination in summer/autumn 2013.

Postcards from the front (runners)

Uppingham (Rutland)

•Business-led front runner, will allocate new development sites for the town and establish positive planning policies design, employment, transport and ICT connectivity.

•Community development company leading development of the plan alongside the town council, residents associations and the local school.

•Explicitly pro-growth plan with focus just as much on delivering the plan as on its production. •innovative approach to invite developers to present proposals to town councillors and members of the working group to compare developers’ offers and understand some of the delivery challenges.

•Working on the Neighbourhood Plan is bringing previously disparate interest groups together and forging stronger links between them.

Postcards from the front (runners)

Key messages from leading areas

• Existing parish arrangements a kick-start • Neighbourhood planning working outside

parished areas• Evidence and assessment - proportionate• Build on existing planning work at a

neighbourhood and local authority level• Strong partnership working with council• Important to involve business and those who

will be central to delivering and using the plan

Key messages from Front-Runners II

• Motivation – most see the process as an opportunity to be proactive about planning in their local area, rather than reactive

• Positive about having power ‘to get on with it’ and bring long-term benefits to local area

• Diverse content of neighbourhood plans – strong focus on provision of affordable housing, public realm, town centres

• Neighbourhood areas and neighbourhood forums often being designated at same time

• Safeguards in the system to ensure it isn’t taken over by unrepresentative interests or used to block essential development happening

FAQs

What are the basic conditions that neighbourhood plans must meet?• Be appropriate, having regard to national planning policy • Be in general conformity with strategic policies in the development plan for the local area (i.e. such as in an existing core strategy) • Be compatible with EU obligations and human rights requirements• Contribute to the achievement of sustainable development.

Can a neighbourhood plan come into legal force without an up-to-date local plan being in place?• Basic conditions that the neighbourhood plan is in general conformity with the strategic policies in the existing development plan. Where there isn’t an up-to-date local plan such as a Core Strategy, consider strategic policies in the saved local plan. • Doesn’t alter need to get up-to-date local plans in place as soon as possible. If no up-to-date local plan, will need to work closely with partners to develop neighbourhood and local plans in tandem to minimise any possible conflict.

http://www.pas.gov.uk/pas/core/page.do?pageId=1802659

Support and funding

• Councils have a legal duty to support• Funding to councils for new burdens - £5k per area designation, £25k

per successful examination in 2012/13• Important to consider all possible avenues for support and funding the

development of a neighbourhood plan• Hands-on support through

• The Prince’s Foundation• Locality – the Building Community Consortium• RTPI/Planning Aid• CPRE/NALC• Design Council Cabe

• Growing number of resources. A few examples include: • http://www.ourneighbourhoodplanning.org.uk/

• Linked-In site with over 1,500 members

• PAS FAQS http://www.pas.gov.uk/pas/core/page.do?pageId=1802659

Working with DCLG

• Dedicated team in DCLG committed to progressing neighbourhood planning

• Want to engage with communities and councils: leading areas are pioneers and lots of lessons emerging

• Important role in supporting leading areas – including navigating examination and referendum process and making links across the council including electoral administrators

• We want to help people over the line and turn their ambitions into real change on the ground

[email protected]

[email protected] or 0303 444 1239

Concluding thoughts

• Real opportunity to plan for the future of your area and for that plan to guide development for many years to come - not just a consideration anymore!

• We are here to help/advise/support/listen so please get in touch

• Real momentum is building

• Important safeguards are in place because of the power of neighbourhood planning to change an area

• Very flexible system – no one-size-fits-all and therefore no template neighbourhood plan as each neighbourhood is different

Leicestershire Front Runners

• Fosse Villages

• Lubenham

• Broughton Astley

• Billesdon

• Asfordby

• Market Bosworth

Lessons from the Frontrunners

planit-x.co.ukplanit-x.co.uk

First wave announced early 2011 Successful applicants received a grant of £20k Access to four organisations who provide

independent advice Support to local planning authorities


Working actively with Fosse Villages, Asfordby and Billesdon

Wider network Others outside front-runners Lucky to have County Council support


It takes longer than you think Its more complicated than you think It costs more than you think You need lots of commitment You don’t have a free hand, but…


Those that are preparing Neighbourhood Plans will have a greater say over how and where development in their communities takes place


BACKGROUND

• 11 parishes working together with a Joint Board and independent chairman

• Based on Blaby South Community forum area

• Blaby Core Strategy provides framework

• Community, stakeholder and school consultation undertaken


KEY ISSUES

• Community:• Want a greater say over development• Ageing population• Services and facilities need improving, particularly for young people. Lack of

public funding.• Affordable housing• Broadband

• Environment• Important green spaces• Pollution

• Economic• Don’t want to be dormitory villages• Minerals

• Transport• Car dependency• Traffic through villages• Poor public transport


LESSONS

• Multi-parish plans throw up additional challenges:• Funding• Governance• Legislation

• Planning applications can’t be put ‘on hold’• 5yr housing land supply requirement trumps all in the planning

wild west• Undermines public confidence• Shifting sands

• Need input from experts• Sometimes difficult to engage with public bodies,

developers, MPs

Lubenham Neighbourhood Plan

•Village profile •Community involvement • Impartial facilitation •Time requirement •Managing pecuniary interests

Broughton Astley• Do not underestimate the time that each stage takes• Importance of drip-feeding information to keep things

fresh in the minds of the community• Keep questions on surveys as simple as possible – not

too many open ended questions• The silent majority are ‘hard to reach’ groups• There is plenty of written guidance out there – but

very few examples of completed plans.

Billesdon Neighbourhood Plan

Progress to date after 1 year:• A Plan Vision Statement• A Key Issues Statement• A Plan Objectives Statement• 3 Public Consultations• Engagement with Stakeholders• A Community Questionnaire (72% response rate)• A SHLAA site assessment report from HDC• Engagement with HDC on new housing numbers and

potential sites around the village.

Billesdon Neighbourhood Plan

Lessons Learnt• The process takes longer than anticipated• Tension between the Neighbourhood Planning process

and developers wanting to submit planning applications.

Next Steps• Will be shortly contacting LCC Highways for input to

the HDC SHLAA sites.

Asfordby Neighbourhood

Plan

Market Bosworth

Neighbourhood Plan

Topic Groups

Topic Group 1:Neighbourhood Planning

and other Community-led Plans

(Recommended for those learning more about Neighbourhood Planning)

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Topic Group 2:Communication: How are

you maintaining community support through to referendum?

(Recommended for those in the process of preparing a Neighbourhood Plan

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Question and Answer Panel

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neighbourhood planning networking evening 20 th november 2012 sophie davies communities and

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