Neighbourhood plan preparation

Preparing a neighbourhood plan

Once the neighbourhood area has been designated Tewkesbury Borough Council can meet with the parish or town council to discuss next steps, as required. This initial meeting is likely to cover:

• An overview of the neighbourhood planning stages
• Setting up a steering group
• Community engagement
• Timescales, budget setting and funding options
• Support available from Tewkesbury Borough Council and others
• Evidence requirements; and
• Meeting the basic conditions, for example environmental assessment of a plan.

Typical activities in the preparation of a neighbourhood plan might include:

• Gathering views from parish residents’ and businesses’ on how they want their local area to be planned, and relevant background information about their neighbourhood area. This information will form part of the evidence base required to support the plan.
• Consulting residents and businesses in the neighbourhood area on drafts of the plan;
• Producing evidence in support of the plan’s policies; and
• Working with Tewkesbury Borough Council on environmental assessments of the plan.

What is Tewkesbury Borough Council’s role in neighbourhood planning?

Tewkesbury Borough Council has a duty to support and advise local communities wishing to engage in neighbourhood planning. National planning guidance states that:

‘A local planning authority should:

• be proactive in providing information to communities about neighbourhood planning.
• fulfil its duties and take decisions as soon as possible, and within statutory time periods ….
• set out a clear and transparent decision making timetable….
• constructively engage with the community throughout the process including when considering the recommendations of the independent examiner….’

Tewkesbury Borough Council will not be able to write your plan for you, but will help guide and support you through the process and review drafts of the plan as it emerges.

Regulation 14 – Pre-submission consultation and publicity of draft plan

The relevant body (parish or town council) are required to undertake a 6 week consultation prior to the neighbourhood plan being formally submitted to Tewkesbury Borough Council for examination. This pre-submission version of the plan should be the preferred approach for the area and not contain options.

The relevant body will be responsible for bringing the plans consultation to the attention of people who live, work or run a business in the designated neighbourhood area.

If a Strategic Environmental Assessment or Habitats Regulation Assessment is required for the plan, this should also be consulted on at the same time.

The relevant body should consult any of the consultation bodies whose interests it considers may be affected by the draft plan. The consultation bodies are set out in Schedule 1 to the Regulations.

Tewkesbury Borough Council also advise that any bordering parish/town councils and/or local planning authorities be consulted. Consideration should also be given to the need to consult local businesses, local landowners and interest groups.

Tewkesbury Borough Council’s, Planning Policy Team should also be consulted. We will review the plan in regards to environmental assessment requirements and other legislation, general conformity with the Tewkesbury Statutory Development Plan and national policy, as well as a more general review of the plan, to help ensure the plan is on track to meet the basic conditions.

At the end of the 6 week consultation the relevant body should consider all the comments received and make any necessary amendments to the plan. A consultation statement should detail all the community engagement undertaken in developing the plan and include the Regulation 14 consultation undertaken and summarise the comments received.

Regulation 16 - Submission of final plan

Examination and referendum

Tewkesbury Borough Council will organise and pay for the examination and referendum of the plan and working with the relevant body, appoint an examiner.

Following a successful examination, a neighbourhood plan should then be subject to referendum. All those eligible to vote in local elections in the defined neighbourhood area covered by the neighbourhood plan will get an opportunity to vote on the plan.

If more than 50% of the people who vote, are in favour of the plan being made (adopted) Tewkesbury Borough Council must formally make/adopt the plan. It will then be part of the Tewkesbury Borough Statutory Development Plan and as such used to help determine planning applications in the defined neighbourhood area.

There are only exceptional circumstances where Tewkesbury Borough Council may decide not to bring the plan into legal force, such as they disagree with the examiner regarding compatibility with European Union obligations and Human Rights conventions.