Neighbourhood Planning enables communities to draw up a Neighbourhood Plan for their area and is intended to give communities more of a say in the development of their local area (within certain limits and parameters).
These plans will be used to decide the future of the places where you live and work giving opportunities to:
- choose where you want new homes, shops and offices to be built
- have your say on what new buildings should look like
- grant planning permission for the new buildings you want to see go ahead.
A neighbourhood plan must go through a specified process before it can be ‘made’ (adopted). This process includes the need for consultation, consideration by an independent examiner and a public referendum.
Once a neighbourhood plan meets all the requirements and has been adopted, it will form part of the development plan for Hart and will be a consideration in the determination of planning applications.
To see if your town or parish is preparing a neighbourhood plan, please visit our towns and parishes web page.
Made ('adopted') Neighbourhood Plans:
The following neighbourhood plans have been adopted by Hart District Council:
Neighbourhood Plans Pending Referendum
At present all neighbourhood planning referendums scheduled to take place, between 16 March 2020 and 5 May 2021 are postponed in line with the Local Government and Police and Crime Commissioner (Coronavirus) (Postponement of Elections and Referendums) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 until after 6 May 2021.
Planning Guidance has been amended to state that where the local planning authority has issued a decision statement detailing its intention to send a neighbourhood plan to referendum, that plan can be given ‘significant’ weight in decision-making, so far as the plan is material to the application.
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Crookham Village: A Decision Statement was considered and agreed by the Council's Cabinet at its meeting on 2 July 2020. For further information please visit: Crookham Village Neighbourhood Plan
- Crondall: A Decision Statement was considered and agreed by the Council's Cabinet at its meeting on 5 March 2020. For further information please visit: Crondall Neighbourhood Plan
Consultations
There are no current consultations at present.
Neighbourhood Planning Support
The Government has set out the programme for neighbourhood planning support for 2018-2022. This offers all groups writing a neighbourhood plan eligibility to apply for a grant of up to £9,000.
Some groups facing more complex issues will be eligible to apply for a further £8,000 in grant and specific packages of direct support where needed. The programme also offers an advice service and a range of online resources provide detailed technical support. Further details are available at the neighbourhood planning's website.
Before you apply please talk to Hart District Council about the support that we, or your local Town/Parish Council may be able to offer.
Other advice and guidance on Neighbourhood Planning
Hart District Council has produced the following documents to support the neighbourhood planning process:
Strategic Development Plan policies - Neighbourhood Plans must be in general conformity with the strategic policies in the development plan for Hart.
Setting up a Neighbourhood Planning Steering Group - this note provides guidance on issues to consider when setting up a Steering Group.
Weight of Neighbourhood Plans - this note provides advice on the weight to be attached to Neighbourhood Plans at different stages in the preparation process.
Hart District Council Neighbourhood Planning Support - this note sets out the support that Hart District Council can provide to those preparing Neighbourhood Plans.
The Environment Agency, English Heritage, Forestry Commission and Natural England are the Government's statutory environmental bodies that work to protect and improve the natural, built and historic environment. They have provide the following document to help consider the environment during the neighbourhood planning process:
Planning for the environment at neighbourhood level - this document gives advice on how to prepare a Neighbourhood Plan that will improve your local environment.
