Neighbourhood Plans explained
There are different ways to take action in your local area. While a Neighbourhood Plan (NP) can do lots of things, it can’t achieve everything.
Learn what an NP can and can’t do - and on our scenarios page, discover alternative tools that can help you make change happen in your area.
While an NP can be a powerful tool to address local issues, an NP’s power isn’t limitless. Before you start, it’s important to know what you can and can’t legally influence.
An NP can:
Influence decisions about new housing - for example: where it should go, the type of housing, the use of land on each site including green space and space for community use. This is useful if data shows the current housing mix isn’t meeting the needs of local people.
Shape the design of new developments - for example: the type of stones and materials to be used, the maximum number of storeys, boundary treatments, and so on.
This is useful if your community wants to ensure new developments are in keeping with the historical character of your area.
Preserve green places for the enjoyment of people and wildlife - by designating them as Local Green Spaces.
This is useful in built-up neighbourhoods to stop small play areas, dog-walking sites and other green pockets from being encroached upon by development.
Give your community more of a say in how the local Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is used. CIL is a ‘tax’ charged to developers which councils use to fund local infrastructure. An NP can set out how your community would like a portion of the area’s CIL to be spent.
Maintain the provision of community facilities - for example: youth centres and community halls. Your NP can have a policy saying such facilities can only be removed if there is evidence they are no longer used or needed.
Protect and enhance the natural environment - for example: woodlands, trees, hedgerows, wildlife sites and habitats. Your NP can seek to safeguard local biodiversity and even protect important views and vistas.
Improve the pedestrian environment - for example: by prioritising the development of new cycle routes and cycle parking in town centres, the laying out of new public open spaces and the planting of new street trees.
Make creative use of under-utilised sites - for example: where a large-scale development has planning permission but work has not started, the site can be temporarily used for community activities such as farmers’ markets, pop-up restaurants, pocket parks, affordable workspace, cultural or sporting activities, or public art and lighting installations.
An NP cannot:
Introduce new speed limits and pedestrian crossings, or redirect traffic flows
Direct processes and standards for litter and refuse collection
Influence existing developments where planning permission isn’t required (for example, with the installation of new windows where a building is not listed)
Influence the delivery of local services (such as buses and trains).
Locality has produced a guide:
“Neighbourhood Planning takes a long time and it’s about future-proofing - protecting and enhancing what is already there. Change is inevitable, but a creating a Neighbourhood Plan puts the local community in the driving seat” - Francis Shaw, Locality.