Neighbourhood Planning

Neighbourhood Planning is designed to “return power to local people and local businesses on planning decisions”.

It’s hoped that it will allow communities to shape their own vision for their community, from deciding the locations of shops, offices and schools to setting standards of design for new housing and protecting green spaces of value to the community.

Not sure how Neighbourhood Planning fits into your Community Plan? Get answers with our Community Plan MOT service here

A key provision of the Decentralisation and Localism Bill, Neighbourhood Planning has laudable and ambitious aims of providing communities with real power. 126 Vanguard Communities – “Front Runners” – have now been chosen, with each front runner’s local council receiving £20,000 to support work on neighbourhood planning.

Is Neighbourhood Planning a radical new power which will give local people a real voice in deciding how development will look in their area?

Or could the biggest shake-up of planning for over 50 years place the countryside under threat and leave communities and planning authorities vulnerable to developer pressure?

Will the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) weaken the planning system and threaten economic growth, or will it achieve its intention to put local people in the driving seat of decision-making in the planning system, giving communities the power to decide the areas they wish to see developed and those to be protected?

How will Neighbourhood Plans affect your organisation, your community?

AMT can help

With 14 years’ experience of working with towns, local authorities and other organisations, AMT believes that effective community action requires both independence and strategic support from local authorities and the public sector.

AMT supports the idea of Neighbourhood Planning putting greater decision-making powers and more funding decisions in the hands of local people.

AMT has long championed Community Led Planning in its broadest sense and its experience shows that with determination and a little guidance communities are ready to take control.

We can help you to build a community-led neighbourhood plan that is fit for purpose – and strengthens your community.