Neighbourhood plan

Thu 20 Aug 2020, 14:06

As a personal response to Sue's question, I honestly don't think anyone can be sure what the effects of planning system reforms will be. The devil, as always, will be in the detail, much of which will not emerge until much later. That said, I believe it is still very much in Charlbury's interest for our neighbourhood plan to become a "made plan" (i.e. to be adopted) as soon as possible now, no matter what happens to the planning system in the future.

I have only skimmed through the white paper so far, but I have noted a few points which I think are relevant to Sue’s question (no doubt there are many others too!). Please note that in the following personal observations I am deliberately NOT expressing any opinion on the merits or otherwise of the white paper (that would be “Debate” material and it would also be inappropriate for me as chair of the NP steering group to express such opinions at this stage in the neighbourhood plan process).

• 1. As Rod has already pointed out, the white paper (Proposal 9, p42) still envisages a role for neighbourhood plans, although it is not clear what their form and scope will be in the future.

• 2. The white paper puts a lot of emphasis on engagement with local communities at the plan making stage for new-style local plans. Having a “made” neighbourhood plan in place should give us a head start in engaging with such a process and that may be crucial given the time limit of 30 months proposed by the white paper for the production of a local plan. The aims and objectives, priorities and aspirations underlying the neighbourhood plan emerged from significant community engagement and, once the plan is made, they will have been formally endorsed by the community through a referendum.

3. The white paper (Proposal 2, p30) envisages a crucial role for local planning authorities and neighbourhood plan groups in producing local design guides and codes “..to provide certainty and reflect local character and preferences about the form and appearance of development”. The local design guide included in our neighbourhood plan, once again gives us a head start in ensuring that Charlbury’s local interests are recognised.

4. Proposal 1 (pp 28/29) proposes that local plans identify land in three categories: growth areas, renewal areas and areas to be protected. The text on page 29 implies that all land within the parish of Charlbury would have to be categorised as protected due it's location in the AONB and Conservation Area.

In summary, we can’t know what will happen in the future but it seems clear that having a made neighbourhood plan for Charlbury should put us in a strong position to influence any new regime.