Neighbourhood plans - overview

The plan can give residents a much greater say on how their neighbourhood will develop over time, including what land should be set aside to meet local needs like housing and employment, what green spaces should be protected or where new green spaces should be provided.

Neighbourhood planning is not about stopping development, rather shaping it. The neighbourhood plan aims to guide future development and include policies addressing details of what new development might look like, such as design quality, density and scale.

One of the basic conditions of a neighbourhood plan, as stated in the regulations, is that it must comply with the strategic policies of the adopted development plan (Bedford Local Plan).

The average time to produce a plan is 18 to 24 months. It is not a quick process - the plan is going to last 15 to 20 years, so you want to make sure you get it right.

A parish or town council can submit an application to designate a neighbourhood area.

Where there is no parish or town council, a neighbourhood forum can be formed and submit an application to designate a neighbourhood area. Such an application must be submitted to the local authority and depending on the nature of the application, it may have to go through public consultation before it is formally designated.

The qualifying body will need to engage with the community and local businesses and organisations to develop the vision of what your area should look like and how it should be planned in the future. It is important that the plan reflects the views and wishes of the community.

Generally, a neighbourhood plan will look at issues associated with use and development of land within the neighbourhood area. The policies need to be related to development, however the plan can include other issues that are not related to land use as an appendix which may help with future provision of facilities, such as allotments or other community aspirations.

The neighbourhood plan is led by the qualifying body which is generally the parish council, town council or neighbourhood forum in areas without a town or parish council. 

In addition, a steering group comprising both members of the public and local councillors could be established as a sub-group of the qualifying body. Working groups could also be formed to investigate the specific themes that will emerge from the plan process.

The cost of plans varies widely depending on the size of the population, the complexity of the plan and any additional technical studies that may be required.

An adopted neighbourhood plan will:

• ensure development is aligned with the needs and wishes of the area, such as affordable housing or improved infrastructure
• influence what development and land uses come forward in the area, including the designation of important local assets and new development sites
• allocate contributions from developers to provide or enhance community facilities and local services (for instance, parish and town councils can receive 25% of the Community Infrastructure Levy compared to 15% where there is no neighbourhood plan)

We would like as many people and organisations as possible in the neighbourhood area to put forward their views as to what they would like their community to look like in the future. You can either input your views via one of the consultation events, or you can join the neighbourhood plan steering group or working groups to have a more hands-on role.

Hundreds of communities across the whole country are in the process of developing neighbourhood plans in their towns and villages. 

Have a look at neighbourhood plans which have been adopted.