Neighbourhood Planning: Frontrunner Survey, November 2011

7/31/2019 Neighbourhood Planning: Frontrunner Survey, November 2011

1/4

Lessons from the Frontrunners

skmcolinbuchanan.com


2/4

In October 2011 we surveyed all 126 Neighbourhood Planning Frontrunners

on their work to date, how they are going about the process of preparing a

Neighbourhood plan, the issues faced and any advice they would give others.

We received responses from 45 of the frontrunners: a response rate of 36%.

Responses were received from frontrunners all across the country, in rural and

urban areas, parished and unparished.

We would like to thank all who responded and are pleased to present a

summary of the ndings.

Q1:Who is leading the Neighbourhood Plan?

The vast major ity of the Neighbourhood Plans are being led by the communities

themselves: only 5 of the 45 who responded were local authority led.

Those leading the process tend to be Parish Councils in par ished areas, though

many are following a partnership approach, with steering groups established

comprising the parish, community organisations and local authority.

Where Neighbourhood Forums have been established, some have taken advantage

of existing bodies and organisations to lead the plan, including for example residents

associations.

Q2:How is the funding being spent?

Most authorities are spending the money on supporting in-house resources andor passing it directly to the community (the Parish or a Forum) to decide what to

do with it. Others are spending the money on organising, running and facilitating

community consultation events. Some are holding the money back for the purposes

of document production, the examination and referendum.

The funding is being spread thinly and completion of the plan may need to rely on the

goodwill of the authority to support the whole process, as well as the free time being

provided by community groups and organisations.

Page 1

Lessons from the Frontrunners

Contact usTo find out more, to learn how

we can help you or to register for

future Neighbourhood Planningupdates and news, please contact:

Jon HerbertE: [email protected]

T: 0207 053 1492

John PounderE: [email protected]

T: 0207 053 1489

Connect with us:

Join the Neighbourhood Planninggroup on LinkedIn:

http://lnkd.in/aVatYm

Follow us:http://twitter.com/your_plan

Debate with us:www.neighbourhoodplanning.info

SKM COLIN BUCHANAN



3/4

Q3:How has the plan boundary been defined?

In rural areas it appears that the plan boundary has been relatively easy to define,

relating to parish or village boundaries in most instances.

In urban areas however the picture is more complicated. A variety of means has

been used to try and define the boundary. Some have made use of existing plan

boundaries, for example, those defined as conservation areas or in SPDs. Some are

relying upon natural features and physical boundaries to demarcate the area. Others

are basing the boundary on catchment areas around a facility or site that will form

the main focus of the Plan. Others say that the boundary will be defined through the

course of preparing the plan. There is clearly no definitive answer.

Q4:What will be in the Neighbourhood Plan?

Most respondents are unclear as to what will be in the plan, saying that it is too early

to determine and that it will be informed by the consultation process and evidence

gathering. Conversely, most know what the plan will not contain beyond the

production of general planning policies and principles.

44% of all respondents said the plan would not comprise any of the five listed items. In

these areas, it is unclear what form the final plan will take.

Although it may be too early to say, responses might suggest that the neighbourhood

plans being prepared are not focussed on growth but rather on what the place should

be. Where Neighbourhood Plans do not provide information on sites, development

quantum and mix, the local plan will take precedence on those issues.

Q5:How long will it take to prepare a Neighbourhood Plan?

36% of all respondents suggested that the plan would take up to eighteen months to

progress from commencement through to submission for examination purposes.

For those that said the Neighbourhood Plan would include all five items specified in

question 4 (above), the figure rose to 65% of all respondents saying the plan would

take up to eighteen months.

But, for those who are unsure what form the plan will take, there is no clear view on

how long the plan will take.

Either way, with the examination and referendum added in, and the draft regulations

requiring an upfront proposal to make a plan to be submitted for consultation and

consideration, the whole process could take time.

Page 2

What will be in the plan? Yes (%) No (%)

Sites allocated for development 36 64

Mix and quantum of development 38 62

General principles and policies 51 49

A masterplan 24 76Design guidance 36 64



4/4

Q6:What challenges have been faced?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, many respondents identified time and resources as the major

barrier, followed by knowledge of the planning system and the availability of skills.

Only 16% of respondents suggested that resistance to growth was a challenge for

them, and even fewer, only 4%, said that lack of public interest was an issue for

them.

It is clear from the Frontrunners that communities want to get involved, but they need

help from the local authorities understanding what is currently a complex planning

system and the implications of this for their plan. Many respondents suggested that

the level of advice and support required should not be underestimated and needs to

be properly resourced.

The findings might suggest that local communities have signed up to the growth agenda,

but this is not borne out by the question on the plan content: perhaps there is limited

resistance to growth because the Neighbourhood Plans that are progressing so far are

not seeking to establish development targets for the area but are instead focussing on

other matters.

Q7:What advice would you give?

One recurring theme here is the need to establish governance structures for the plan

at the outset, identifying who is responsible for what and when. And linked to this is

the nature of the group leading the plan: respondents suggested that time may need

to be taken to ensure that the group or forum is representative and that all views are

made, and heard. But, this may take time.

When a Neighbourhood Forum is formed, it needs to be ensured that the

organisation is representative. In urban areas, where a range of land uses are

apparent, it is important to engage with the business and faith community, alongside

residents. This will ensure by in from the beginning.

Advice would be to get clear, precise, documented and approved governance

arrangements in place with strong and locally accountable leads BEFORE start ing any

work on a plan.

Most respondents acknowledged that the local authority should not lead the

process, but that they should help provide advice and assistance, particularly in

terms of understanding the legislative framework.

The local authority should ensure they identify enough time and allocate sufficient

resources to help support the process.

Identify and provide sufficient local authority resources (staff and financial) to be able

to support Neighbourhood groups.

A project plan and timeframe should be established at the outset, with clear goals

and targets to work towards.

Page 3


What challenges have been faced? Yes (%) No (%)

Lack of public interest 4 96Resistance to growth 16 84

Knowledge of the planning system 31 69

Avaliability of skills 33 67

Time and resources 49 51

Documents

Neighbourhood Planning: Frontrunner Survey, November 2011