Can you do a neighbourhood plan for just part of a parish? - Public forum - Planning Advisory Service (PAS)

A Neighbourhood Development Plan involving a parished area (whole or part) needs to be led (or be seen to be led i.e signed off by) the Parish Council. Community Right to Build proposal on the other hand can be carried out by a community group for a small area within a parish boundary assuming that the group and the scheme meet the appropriate criteria. FYI A Community Right to Build Order is a specific type of NDO. It allows a local community group to bring forward a small development, which might include proposals for new homes, business premises and/or community facilities, but it must be small scale in comparison to the size of settlement. A community organisation, not just a parish or town council or a neighbourhood forum, is able to develop a Community Right to Build Order. However, to be eligible, at least half of the community organisation’s members must live in the neighbourhood area to which the Community Right to Build Order will apply. The organisation must also exist to further the economic, environmental and social well-being of the area in question. The community can work with partners or go it alone by setting up, for instance, a community land trust. The process for preparing and adopting a Community Right to Build Order is broadly the same as that for a Neighbourhood Development Order. Community Right to Build Orders have to meet a number of conditions before they can be put to a community referendum and legally come into force. These conditions are to ensure plans are legally compliant and take account of wider policy considerations (e.g. national policy). Conditions are: 1. they must have regard to national planning policy 2. they must be in general conformity with strategic policies in the development plan for the local area (i.e. such as in a core strategy) 3. they must be compatible with EU obligations and human rights requirements. An independent qualified person then checks that the document meets these conditions before it can be voted on in a local referendum. I hope this helps.

i asked abut a Neighbourhood Plan not Neighbourhood Development Plan nor a Neighbourhood Development Order. I am just a confused citizen and am unsure if the LAP or the Parish Council, which are pushing for hurried completion before HMG has finalized all the details, are necessarily fully up to speed. As I say, I am confused. Colin Conway

A Neighbourhood Development Plan is a 'Neighbourhood Plan' under the Localism Act. I would suggest that you consult the guidance thats been produced by CPRE if you want some basic information about Neighbourhood Planning and what the process entails: http://www.planninghelp.org.uk/ Just to confirm what I stated before in Parished areas only the Parish Council can produce a Neighbourhood Development Plan. Other options are available to community groups who wish to engage in and lead neighbourhood planning in parished areas but this cannot take the form of a neighbourhood development plan only a community right to build order. Kirsty

I was asking a simple question. I suspect that planners have a basic training to make things confusing. If anyone has the answer to my simple question I may know whether I have grounds to challenge my LPA or not. The people at www.pas.gov.uk publish information on the internet and do not know whether or not this information is correct!

Colin, I'm pretty confident it's not the planners that are making neighbourhood planning confusing it's the lack of national guidance and the mixed messages in the media caused by inaccurate soundbites. Information published in PAS publications by them is always accurate, information published on the forums is the opinion of particpants such as myself, my comments and others are not vetted by PAS and have the potential to be inaccurate. I have attempted to answer your question twice now and have provided an accurate answer based on my personal knowledge of the published Neighbourhood Planning Regulations. I hope you get the answers you are looking for. FYI there are other organisations who can provide you with free advice on Neighbourhood Planning they are: Planning Aid; Campaign to Protect Rural England; The Princes Foundation for the Built Environment; and Locality Kirsty

I think what this thread illustrates quite neatly is that simple-seeming questions can have quite complex answers. Q Can a neighbourhood plan be prepared for part of a parish ? A Yes, where it makes sense to the planning authority You can then move onto the more interesting question of how the council might assess whether it makes sense or not. What you will not find is a "gotcha" argument that means that you can overturn the decision of your LPA. Kirsty's answer is very helpful, as she reminds us that a neighbourhood plan is only one way to skin the development cat. You might prefer to use other things if you are interested in influencing the development of a particular site, for example. So, it might help if you explained (in general terms) what it is you're trying to make happen. Otherwise you'll have to make do with my general advice that you will probably end up frustrated if you attempt to influence planning *despite* your planning authority and councillors.