Neighbourhood Planning in Worplesdon14th March 2014

Neighbourhood Planning• What is it?• …and what is it not?• Is it right for us?• Is it right for us NOW?• Who leads on producing a plan?• How much does it cost?• What funding is available?

What is a Neighbourhood Plan?

• A land use plan that will be used to determine planning applications

• It can cover– Your parish– An area within your parish, e.g. a ward–More than one parish

IT WILL HAVE TEETH

What is a Neighbourhood Plan?

• An NP cannot be used to say ‘no’ to growth– Guilford BC is going to be making the big

growth decisions

• A Neighbourhood Plan in Worplesdon will have to be positive about accepting growth– That growth will happen anyway but an

NP could help to shape it

Who leads on a Neighbourhood Plan?

• Led by the Parish Council– The ‘appropriate body’ under the Localism

Act for a plan covering any part of the parish

– PC cannot be forced to produce a plan

• Work does not have to be undertaken solely by the Parish Council– Needs to reflect the views of the whole

community– Referendum

How many others are doing this?

• As at 7th March 2014– 986 areas applied for

neighbourhood area designation

– 716 areas designated– 33 plans submitted for

examination– 21 plans completed

examination– 9 plans in place

General conformity• Your Neighbourhood Plan has to be in

“general conformity” with your borough council’s Local Plan– Not absolute conformity

• Two aspects– Conformity with what in the local plan?– Conformity to what plan?

What can your Neighbourhood Plan cover?

• It cannot cover strategic matters– Housing, employment targets where

they are clearly stated– Very large sites identified by the

Borough Council

• It can cover pretty much everything else and be in ‘general conformity’

Which plan must the Neighbourhood Plan conform to?

• Conformity must be with an adopted local plan–…not an emerging one, unless it has

been examined and declared sound

• But you cannot just ignore an emerging local plan– You ignore Guildford’s emerging Local

Plan at your peril!

Guildford planning context• The emerging Local Plan still at early

stages– Issues and Options completed– First draft Plan expected Summer 2014

• Not expected to be adopted until September 2015

Guildford planning context• Issues and options identify possible sites– Land west and south west of Fairlands –

major mixed use– Land at Blackwell Farm, Hogs Back – major

mixed use– Land west of Jacobs Well and south of Salt

Box Road – employment– Various sites for possible park-and-ride

• These are all potential strategic sites

Can we influence these major, strategic sites?

• Potentially, but not through Neighbourhood Plan process– These are ‘strategic’ sites so are not within

the remit of the Neighbourhood Plan to include or exclude

• You are best engaging in the ongoing Local Plan consultation– Trying to do this through a NP will almost

certainly fail and divert resources

Timescales• Neighbourhood Plans are not quick– Getting the community to understand what

it is and why they should get involved– Set up Working Groups– Gather evidence– Consider the options– Choose the preferred option– Prepare the plan– Consultation, examination, referendum

Timescales• This is not a small community – 8,500 population– Nearly 3,500 households

• Other equivalent plans are taking at least 18 months to produce a draft Neighbourhood Plan

• An NP will have no weight until a very late stage

Evidence• Robust evidence is key to success– An examiner will want to see this

• Evidence is not just what the community thinks

• It has to be balanced with ‘hard’ evidence– Data, e.g. 2011 Census, house prices,

etc– Technical reports – GBC’s evidence base

Referendum• At the end of the process, there has to

be a referendum– Open to all those on the electoral roll within

the NP area

• The NP can only be put in place if more than 50% of those that turn out vote ‘yes’

• Even then, plans could be subject to judicial review– Tattenhall

Costs• How much would a Neighbourhood Plan for

Worplesdon cost?

• Mainly the cost of providing support– A function of how much local expertise you have– £7,000 - £12,000

• Plus your administration costs• You don’t pay for the examination or

referendum• Total cost of £15,000 - £18,000 ??

Funding• There is Government funding available• Grants of up to £7,000• Grant application is straightforward but

has to be carefully presented– Start the process (particularly neighbourhood

area designation)– Get commitment from the community – Have an idea of the objectives and issues the

plan will cover

• The funding decision is quick!

What support can we provide?

• We can provide as much support as you need– Including accessing grant funding

• We are proficient in a range of community engagement techniques

• We are experts in technical evidence and policy writing

• Can bring emerging experience of neighbourhood planning– Currently working in Godalming, Chiddingfold,

Cranleigh and Fernhurst

Chris BowdenDirector

Navigus Planning

Tel: 01206 700260Email: chris@navigusplanning.co.ukWeb: www.navigusplanning.co.uk