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Neighbourhood Plan
THE NATIONAL PLANNING POLICY FRAMEWORK AND LOCALISM ACT.
The Government is making some significant changes to the planning system that will affect the responsibilities of all local planning authorities.
The intention is to make the planning system one that better supports sustainable economic growth and jobs, underpinned with the principles of localism, with less ‘top-down’ prescription and more ‘bottom up’ involvement.
The Localism Act sets out how communities will be able to get more involved in planning for their areas – specifically around creating plans and policies to guide new development and in some cases granting planning permission for certain types of development.
Neighbourhood planning is about letting the people who know about and care for an area plan for it. It is led by the residential and business community, not the council, and is about building neighbourhoods – not stopping growth. Neighbourhood planning is optional but if adopted by the Council, neighbourhood plans and orders will have weight becoming part of the plan making framework for your area.
WHAT IS THE LOCALISM ACT?
The Localism Act was granted by the Royal Ascent on 16th November 2011 and sets out the framework and key principles for a system of neighbourhood planning in England. It creates new planning tools to help empower communities to shape and manage development in their local areas. These include:
- neighbourhood development plans
- neighbourhood development orders
- community right to build.
Communities will be able to develop planning policies that will become part of the planning framework for their area and grant planning permission for certain types of new development.
This is a fundamental change to the planning system. It will significantly impact local planning authorities as they will be required to both advise and support communities on their neighbourhood planning work, and then implement the neighbourhood plan policies via their decision making.
HOW DO NEIGHBOURHOOD PLANS RELATE TO THE MID SUSSEX DISTRICT PLAN?
Under the new national planning framework local planning authorities will still need to prepare local plans. These should guide and deliver development that meets the needs of the local area, including housing land allocations and strategic development.
Neighbourhood plans must be in line with these strategic policies and will not be able to block any new strategic development.
Neighbourhood plans are permissive. The new suite of neighbourhood planning tools are about enabling development, not stopping it.
THE CONSULTATION DRAFT OF THE MID SUSSEX DISTRICT PLAN.
The role of the District Plan is to provide an overall direction on what, where, when and how development will take place in Mid Sussex over the next two decades. It will need to include the following:
- What overall quantity of development is needed to support the Mid-Sussex community and achieve its aspirations of economic growth, maintain its high quality of life and promote sustainable communities,
- Where the majority of the development should be located,
- When it will come forward and how it will be delivered,
- Where development will be restricted given the desire to protect the attractive countryside and the distinctive character and heritage of the various communities that make up Mid Sussex,
- How other development will be delivered,
- How the necessary infrastructure to accompany this development will be achieved; and
- How the nature and quality of this development will be monitored and controlled to achieve the overall vision and strategic objectives.
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