Neighbourhood Planning

Thirston Parish Council

2 November 2017

David English Planning Manager (Neighbourhood Planning and Infrastructure)

Presentation Outline

• Neighbourhood planning powers

• Plan preparation process

• Progress with neighbourhood plans • National picture • Neighbourhood plans in Northumberland

• Getting started

• Examples of neighbourhood plans

• Questions

Neighbourhood Planning What’s it all about?

• Introduced in Localism Act 2011

• Empower local communities

• Neighbourhood led (Parish Councils)

• Light-touch process

• Enable community development

• Incentivise communities to support growth, not prevent it!

• Set out a local spatial vision and objectives for the area: o what will the area look like in future? o what will it be like to live in, work in and visit the area?

• Locally distinctive land-use policies to manage development and support growth in the plan area

• Supporting growth: accepting at least the amount of development set out in the Local Plan

• Shaping what it looks like and agreeing where it goes

Stopping development e.g. • wind farms • housing development • surface mining or Creating an alternative to the Local Plan:

1. Define Neighbourhood Area • Governance arrangements 2. Prepare and Publicise Plan • Vision; Objectives; Evidence; Policies; Engagement to test policies; Review; Consultation 3. Submit Plan to County Council • Basic Conditions Report • Consultation Statement 4. Independent Examination 5. Referendum  Need 50% + 1 (of turn-out) to vote in favour www.northumberland.gov.uk Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council The National Picture So Far…

Government statistics show: • Over 2500 areas designated • Over 650 plans submitted • Over 350 plans passed referendum • Referendum: 34% average turnout; and average 88% vote in favour • Five plans have failed Examination • One Plan failed at referendum www.northumberland.gov.uk Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council The National Picture So Far…

Costs of preparing neighbourhood plans (Government Figures)

• Lympstone (coastal village, Devon): £6,389

• Broughton Astley (large village, Leicestershire): £14,312

• Exeter St James (city centre plan): £10,450

• Heathfield Park (deprived urban area, Wolverhampton): £19,500

• Lynton & Lynmouth (coastal towns, Devon): £27,681 • Strumpshaw (small village, Norfolk): £4,220 Average: £13,758 www.northumberland.gov.uk Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council Northumberland Neighbourhood Plans The Front Runners: •Allendale - Made June 2015 •Morpeth - Made May 2016 •Alnwick – Made July 2017 •Cramlington - Draft in preparation •Tarset & Greystead - Withdrawn

Other Neighbourhood Areas Designated: • Acomb • Norham and Islandshire • Belford • North Northumberland • Berwick-upon-Tweed Coast • Ellingham • Ponteland • Ellington and Linton • Seaton Valley • Embleton • Stannington • Hexham • Tillside • Lesbury • West Bedlington • Longhorsley • Whittington • Lowick • Wooler • Mid-Coquetdale www.northumberland.gov.uk Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council The County Council’s Role

• Localism Act ‘duty to support’: – Practical help - providing mapping services – Defining strategic planning policies – Information sharing – online resources • Decision making role: – Designation of Neighbourhood Areas – Decision to ‘make’ plan following referendum • Commitment to work with Parish Councils: – provision of a link officer for each plan

• Support – NOT deciding what the plan contains! www.northumberland.gov.uk Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council Is it going to hurt? YES! You will need: • Time • People • Skills • Money • Energy …and good reason…know why you want a land-use plan from the start! www.northumberland.gov.uk Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council Any Pain Relief Available? YES! • Local Planning Authority - Duty to support • County Council commitment to work with parish councils • Opportunity to draw on existing community networks – focus activity and involve the ‘do-ers’ • Grant aid – Programme of grants and direct support: £9k per plan, with more

• Manage growth • Direct development • Positive influence • Sometimes you can get what you want!

Taking the Lead • One parish council needs to be nominated to lead • Any other parishes must give their consent for area designation

Governance • Authorisation to act from ‘parent’ parish council – Terms of Reference • Steering group – how many people and who?

Upper Eden Eden District (Cumbria) First neighbourhood plan to examination and referendum

• Allows new homes on farms for family, holiday let or local needs • Local exceptions housing for local people • Local policy differs from Core Strategy – but passed exam

The Lyn Plan Exmoor National Park

Policies to: • Allow affordable housing for people with local connections subject to size limit (90sq.m.) • Control occupation of market housing – only ‘principal residences’ allowed. • Support appropriately located staff and seasonal worker accommodation

Tattenhall Cheshire West & Chester

Plan for incremental growth in villages. Policies proposed to: • Limit scale of new housing- max site size: 30 dwellings • Protect local facilities (subject to viability)

Plan seriously upset housing developers – first high court challenge April 2014 – They lost!

Only 5 Policies: • Allocate one housing site for 30 dwellings • Define settlement confines • Local Green Space • Allocates two employment and mixed use sites Community Objectives: • 14 community objectives identified and shown at start of plan – demonstrates importance

Strumpshaw Broadlands District (Norfolk)

10 policies including: • Protect village character • Protect green space • Support small scale employment • Maintain settlement limits

Allendale First plan made in north east

11 policies:

• Allows demolition and rebuild of redundant rural buildings for a range of uses • Removes size limitation on extensions to houses – design and impact assessment • New affordable housing for local people

Five Plans that failed:

• Wantage (Vale of White Horse) Aug 2016: “…extensive protectionist policies and proposals.”

• Berinsfield (South Oxfordshire) May 2016: policies did not have regard to national policy, particularly Green Belt policy.

• Storrington, Sullington and Washington (Horsham) March 2016: sites allocated did not qualify as locations for sustainable development.

• Coton Park (Rugby) Jan 2015: two policies did not meet statutory requirements (only four policies in the Plan!).

• Slaugham (Mid Sussex) Jan 2014: problems with meeting European obligations (Strategic Environmental Assessment not good enough)

“The ultimate reason for failure is always the same – the Plan has not met the basic conditions.” Nigel McGurk, Independent Examiner

• Think about the planning ‘problems’ you might address

• What area should your plan cover – adjoining parishes?

• What’s your vision for the future of the area

• What are your priorities and objectives

• Engage, consult, explain, tell people…tell everybody …They all have a vote!

Wide range of resources available online: