Without a Neighbourhood Plan, our Local Authority makes all the planning decisions without having to take any notice of old Parish Plans or our local wishes. A lot of effort was taken over our Parish Plan, but it is now redundant and is given little weight by the Local Authority planners. A Neighbourhood Plan is a legal document relating to the Localism Act 2011 and so must be taken into account by the Local Authority planners.
There is also a financial reason. New building developers have to pay a tax, the CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy) to the Local Authority. Our unitary authority, Cornwall Council, returns 25% of the CIL to Town and Parish Councils to spend on the local infrastructure, but only if they have a Neighbourhood Plan.
Most importantly, we think that the process of creating a Neighbourhood Plan will also bring the community together, as a wide range of people all need to work together; residents, businesses, local organisations and anyone with a local planning interest.
What can a Neighbourhood Plan do for us?
A Neighbourhood Plan can't block strategic planning of new developments, but it can specify how the development is implemented. For example, if Cornwall Council planners say that there needs to be 100 new homes built in the next ten years, we can specify that they must not be in one big estate, but small developments of 10 homes or less.
As it says on Neighbourhood planning - Detailed guidance "if the local planning authority says that an area needs to grow, then communities cannot use neighbourhood planning to block the building of new homes and businesses; they can, however, use neighbourhood planning to influence the type, design, location and mix of new development".
How far have we got?
St Ive Parish Council has formed a working group, which has already applied to Cornwall Council for St Ive Parish to be formally designated as a Neighbourhood Area.
The next stage is finding out what is important to the community. The Parish Plan 2003 updated 2009 already gives us a starting point, but things have changed. So first, in The Parish Pump newsletter, we will be asking which issues are important. There will also be public meetings for people to have their say. Then we will use a survey and displays to get numbers on what people think. This will form the basis of the plan which finally will be voted on by us all in a referendum.
References
These are the links that I've found so far. I'll comment on their usefulness as I progress.
Legislation
- Localism Act 2011 and A plain English guide to the Localism Act
- The Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012
- The Neighbourhood Planning (Referendums) Regulations 2012
Guidance
- PAS (planning advisory service) Neighbourhood planning: a simple guide for ward councillors - This downloadable guide is very readable and has good examples of where the plan can be useful.
- The Planning Portal Neighbourhood planning - This page also summarises the other planning options.
- Department of Communities and Local Government Neighbourhood planning - Detailed guidance - This page also tells you what you can do.
- Cornwall Council Neighbourhood Plan checklists and guide notes - This is a very detailed resource, and since we will have to work closely with our Local Authority, (they can reject the plan if they don't think it conforms), we need to pay it close attention. This is also the place to find detailed plans for a schedule in both pdf and excel format.
- Funding from My Community Rights apply here for Direct Support and Grant Payments.
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Fosse Villages Neighbourhood Plan web site
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Upper Eden Neighbourhood Development Plan approved March 2013
- Thame Neighbourhood Plan Copy left by Sheryll Murray MP
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