What is Neighbourhood Planning?
Neighbourhood planning is a key part of the Government’s Localism agenda. It aims to give local communities greater power to shape development by taking a more active role in the development of planning policies at a local level. Within the Selby District neighbourhood planning will be led by town and parish councils with Selby District Council providing technical assistance and making necessary decisions at key stages.
Neighbourhood planning can be used for a variety of purposes for example it can be used for:
• Identifying where new homes, shops and industrial uses should be built
• Have a say on what new buildings should look like
• Grant planning permission for new development that a community want
Neighbourhood Development Plans are the first plans developed at a parish council level with legal force. They are formal statutory documents and are additional to, (not a replacement for) Selby District Local Plan policies and emerging policies. If a neighbourhood development plan is adopted following the formal process set out in the Neighbourhood Planning (general) Regulations 2012 will be used by Selby District Council to make decisions on planning applications.
With a Neighbourhood Development Plan communities can create a vision and planning policies for the use and development of land in a neighbourhood. For example, where new homes should be built and what they should look like. Neighbourhood plans can be general or more detailed, depending on what local people want. They must however, be in general conformity with national policies and strategic policies within the Council’s adopted Local Plan documents and should not be used to restrict development than to a lower level is set out in Local Plan documents.
What happens once the Neighbourhood Development Plan is completed?
Once the Neighbourhood Development Plan has been drafted it must be put to a community referendum and will not take effect as a legal document unless there is a 50% majority of votes cast. Our Neighbourhood Development Plan will have to meet certain conditions that ensure it is legally compliant and take into account wider policy considerations. It must also be in “general conformity” with the Selby Local Plan (The Local Development Framework).
Who is developing the Neighbourhood Development Plan?
The Neighbourhood Plan will be developed by us as members of the Parish of Ulleskelf communities – you may live here, work here, go to school here or have social connections to the Parish. You know your community best and can help in identifying sites in or around these settlements which would be suitable for housing, business or other forms of community-related development which will shape the long term future for your Parish.
A Steering Group has already been set up, you can read more about that here.
The Plan is important for everyone in the Parish of Ulleskelf because, if a vote at a referendum is successful, it will be a legal document and decisions on planning applications will be required to be made in accordance with the Neighbourhood Development Plan.
You can read more about Neighbourhood Planning at the following websites:
http://www.selby.gov.uk/service_main.asp?menuid=&pageid=&id=2383