Neighbourhood Plans

Under the Localism Act, and through a specially constituted Neighbourhood Forum, used for the purpose,  residents are empowered to designate a bordered area of their choosing (within which they must live or work) and create a planning document of their own which must be taken into consideration during the planning process for any application within that area.  That Forum can also raise planning applications of its own. 

Once a constituted Neighbourhood Forum has been created and it knows what it is about, it has to gain local authority recognition.  Nationally there are now about 500 of them, 70 of which are in London alone.  In the city of Brighton & Hove there is so far only one – Rottingdean.  In Hove the now constituted Hove Station Neighbourhoods Forum is (as of 26.9.13) working toward the council accreditation which is required for creating ……..

a Neighbourhood Plan. 

“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” 

read the government’s own Neighbourhood Plan guidance