Neighbourhood Planning Pilot

South Lakeland District Council fully embraces the Government’s Localism agenda and is working to support communities become empowered to ensure services are delivered differently and better in their areas. One of the ways the Council feels that Localism can be progressed is through encouraging communities to take part in piloting different approaches. Two types of pilot have been put forward for consideration; community based budgeting and neighbourhood planning. The concept of Neighbourhood Planning has been introduced in the Government’s Localism Bill, which was published on 13th December 2010. The Bill is expected to become law later this year.

For more detail on what is currently understood about Neighbourhood Plans, see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) sheet and the various guides that are now being published. The council puts considerable emphasis on involving communities in decision-making, and is keen to find out whether any local council including Parish Councils, Town Councils and Parish Meetings (or groups of local councils) would be interested in being at the forefront of this new initiative by piloting a Neighbourhood Plan.

The Department for Communities & Local Government  is providing funding for the Neighbourhood Plan Pilot project. Under this scheme, a grant of up to £20,000 could be made available towards the cost of independent facilitation (i.e. a consultant), plan preparation, community engagement, and evidence base work. The pilot project must be in general conformity with the Local Development Framework.

Expressions of interest were invited from local councils, or groups of local councils, who are in the South Lakeland District Planning Authority and interested in developing a Pilot Neighbourhood Plan for their area. Those that expressed an interest needed to be clear that they have the capacity and some resources to facilitate this process within their community.

The Council received expressions of interest from several Town and Parish Councils and a Local Area Partnerhsip. The evaluation has been completed and Heversham Parish Council in partnership with Hincaster Parish Meeting has been confirmed as the neighbourhood planning pilot in South Lakeland. The bid for government funding to support the pilot has now been submitted.

For more information on the pilots contact John Dyer. Partnerships and Communities Manager j.dyer@southlakeland.gov.uk

Guides to Neighbourhood Planning

There are a number of guides for Neighbourhood Planning that have been produced, we have included these below:

 Neighbourhood Planning Frequently Asked Questions (PDF, 13 Kb)

The Campaign to Protect Rural England have produced a guide on neighbourhood planning in partnership with the National Association of Local Councils called- How to shape where you live: a guide to neighbourhood planning. There is also additional information on the Planning Help website run by the Campaign to Protect Rural England.

The Department for Communities & Local Government has now published an Introductory guide to Neighbourhood Planning which you may find interested if your Town or Parish Council is thinking about undertaking a Neighbourhood Plan outside of the pilot project mentioned above. Further information is also available on the Department for Communities & Local Government website

 An Introduction to Neighbourhood Planning (PDF, 173 Kb)