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Localism Act & Neighbourhood Planning. Andrew England Assistant Head of Planning and Regeneration. Localism Act & Neighbourhood Planning. Localism Act. What is a Neighbourhood Plan? Front Runner Pilots. Guidance for Local Councils. Costs for Local Councils.
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Localism Act & Neighbourhood Planning • Andrew England • Assistant Head of Planning and Regeneration
Localism Act & Neighbourhood Planning • Localism Act. • What is a Neighbourhood Plan? • Front Runner Pilots. • Guidance for Local Councils. • Costs for Local Councils. • Fit with National/ Cornwall Planning Policy. • What are the alternative? • What help is available? • Q&A
Localism Act – Planning Overview • Abolish Regional Spatial Strategies. • Abolish the Infrastructure Planning Commission. • Community Right to Build. • Amend the Community Infrastructure Levy, which allows councils to charge developers to pay for infrastructure. Some of the revenue will be available for the local community.
Localism Bill – Planning overview • Provide for neighbourhood plans, which would be approved if they received 50% of the votes cast in a referendum. • Provide for neighbourhood development orders to allow communities to approve development without requiring normal planning consent
Localism Act • Royal Assent November 2011
Cornwall leads the way • Feock Local Development Order. • Newquay Airport Local Development Order. • Parish Plans/ Market & Coastal Town Initiative.
Localism in Cornwall Localism team set up at inception of Cornwall Council Portfolio holder for Localism & devolution
What is a Neighbourhood Plan? • Neighbourhood planning is about letting the people who know about & care for an area plan for it. • It is led by the residential and business community, not the council, & is about building neighbourhoods – not stopping growth.
What is a Neighbourhood Plan? • Neighbourhood planning is also not entirely new – it can build on existing community planning work.
Who is in charge of getting local people to draw up a Neighbourhood Plan? • Only Town/ Parish Councils
What does it do? • It can set out a vision for an area and planning policies for the use and development of land. • It will be about local rather than strategic issues. For example it could cover where new shops, offices or homes should go and what green spaces should be protected. • The plan does need to be compatible with national policies and Cornwall policies.
What does it do? • It should be focused on guiding development rather than stopping it. • If adopted it will become a statutory plan and be used in making decisions on planning applications.
What does it do? • Can help to identify what community infrastructure projects are needed – village halls, play areas, community renewable schemes, etc. • Help set priorities. • Community Infrastructure Levy – a meaningful proportion goes back to the community.
Forget the jargon • At its heart planning is about colouring in maps to create a picture of your future – but these maps have real legal force.
Neighbourhood Development Orders • These allow local councils to grant permission for development to take place (without the need for planning permission) within the neighbourhood plan area.
Cornwall Toolkit • Cornwall is producing a Neighbourhood Plan Toolkit • Provide more detailed breakdown of individual considerations. • Learn from the pilots & disseminate good practice. • Minimise resources and help make the plan making process more efficient.
Cost of Neighbourhood Plans • The average cost per plan will fall between £17,000 and £63,000. (Dept. for Communities and Local Government estimates) • Referendum costs - we estimate a referendum of around 5,000 people would cost in the region of £5,000. (LGA)
Examination Costs • Probably Written Representation process. • Independent Inspector appointed and funded by CC. • Circa £2K?
Other potential costs • Publicity. • Publications. • Special reports – ecology/ contaminated land / viability assessments. • External ‘experts’.
Who pays? • The Governments Supporting Communities fund will provide financial assistance for professional support. • The local authority has a duty to support but may or may not be able to provide financial assistance to the development of the plan, although it will be for the council to fund the independent assessment & the referendum.
Who pays? • Developers & landowners may provide financial assistance where they have an interest in securing planning permission.
Compliance with National & Cornwall Planning Policy • Once approved the neighbourhood development plan will become part of the statutory development plan for Cornwall. • It is important to remember that for a neighbourhood development plan to be successful it needs to be in general conformity with the existing development plan for the local area.
What are the alternative? • You don’t have to do a neighbourhood plan. • What does your community actually want? • You could for example apply for planning permission. • Neighbourhood Plans could range from simple vision for your community to fully blown development plans.
Why can’t I wait until I hear about a planning application? • Because when a notice appears it may already be too late for you to have a big influence. • The real power behind planning is the Local Plan – and local people now have much stronger rights to help create that plan. • Get the plan right & steer development to where it is needed.
What help is available? • Cornwall Council has a duty to support.
What help is available? • There 213 Town & Parish Councils in Cornwall!
