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Neighbourhood Planning – The New Landscape

Andrew LynchDepartment for Communities and

Local Government

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Content

• Understanding the new powers– Neighbourhood plans, neighbourhood

development orders, community right to build

• Opportunities for communities– How the new powers can be used, what are the

advantages over traditional routes

• The role for housing providers– Examples from front runners

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Neighbourhood plans

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Neighbourhood plans – the basics

• Communities can establish local planning policies for the development and use of land in a neighbourhood.

• They will be able to say, for example, where new homes and offices should be built, and what they should look like.

• Becomes part of the development plan for the area, giving real weight to local views.

• Aligned with strategic elements of local plan

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Neighbourhood Development Orders

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Neighbourhood development orders – the basics

• NDOs can grant planning consent and remove the need to apply for planning permission for development that is consistent with the order.

• Allows new homes and offices to be built without the developers having to apply for separate planning permission.

• Could also permit houses to be extended in a neighbourhood or allow changes of use beyond those permitted by the use classes order without the need to apply for planning consent.

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Community Right to Build

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Community Right to Build – the basics

• Another means of obtaining planning permission

• Intended for smaller-scale, site specific schemes.

• Subset of neighbourhood development orders - can allow for development on the green belt in certain circumstances, and provide for enfranchisement rights to be disapplied on housing schemes, ensuring housing remains affordable in perpetuity.

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Process (Engagement runs throughout)

Define the neighbourhood

Prepare the Plan / Order

Submit Plan / Order to LPA

Independent Examination

Referendum

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What’s in it for communities?

• Take control of their areas - planning is something they do, not have done to them

• Makes areas more accepting of growth – some frontrunners are taking higher levels of growth than under the previous top-down system.

• If an area is designated for growth, can’t use Neighbourhood planning to prevent or block that – but can influence design / mix / etc.

• Govt support – advice and funding assistance

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The role for housing providers

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The role for housing providers

• Housing providers have several potentially influential roles:– As important community organisations– As investors– As landlords

• Providers are experienced in engaging / supporting communities

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Conclusion

• Remember these are rights, not requirements – communities have the choice to use them

• As with all new processes, there is space to share experience, good practice

• Housing providers can be well placed to fulfil this role to the benefit of communities and themselves

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Contacts / Information

• Andrew Lynch – 0303 444 3594• andrew.lynch@communities.gsi.gov.uk• Locality support hub• http://mycommunityrights.org.uk/community-ri

ght-to-build/• HCA fund• http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/com

munity-right-to-build