Neighbourhood planning was introduced by the Localism Act 2011 and came into effect in April 2012. It is a government initiative aimed at trying to empower local communities to help make and take forward planning proposals at a local level.
A summary of the key stages in the neighbourhood planning process can be found in the National Planning Practice Guidance.
Designation of a neighbourhood area
The first formal step in the neighbourhood planning process is the submission of an application to the local planning authority by a parish council or town council for the designation of a neighbourhood area.
Preparing a neighbourhood development plan
A neighbourhood plan establishes general planning policies for the development of land in a neighbourhood. Any plan must meet ‘basic conditions’, which include the need for policies to be generally aligned with strategic policies in the Development Plan.
Once a neighbourhood development plan meets all the requirements and has been 'made' (adopted), it forms part of the overall development plan for the area. It can then be considered in the determination of planning applications.
Local people can also use neighbourhood planning to draw up any of the following documents:
Neighbourhood development order
This is to grant planning permission for a particular type of development in a specified area without the need for planning applications.
Community right to build order
This is to allow certain community organisations to bring forward small-scale development on specific sites without the need for planning permission.
Examination and referendum
Once prepared, any neighbourhood development plan or order must be looked at by an independent examiner. They will check that it meets certain ‘basic conditions’ and other relevant legal requirements.
The independent examiner may recommend that the plan or order proceeds to a public referendum (the next stage in the process) or may suggest that modifications are needed before it can proceed any further.
At the referendum, any plan or order needs to achieve more than 50% of those who vote to do so in its favour, before the council can bring it into legal force.
Neighbourhood areas in Bracknell Forest
Six areas in Bracknell Forest have been designated by the council:
- Binfield Parish - (applied for by Binfield Parish Council) designated on 20 April 2016
- Bracknell Town - (applied for by Bracknell Town Council) designated on 11 February 2014
- Crowthorne Parish - (applied for by Crowthorne Parish Council) designated on 15 June 2016
- Sandhurst Town - (applied for by Sandhurst Town Council) designated on 12 January 2024
- Warfield Parish - (applied for by Warfield Parish Council) designated on 23 July 2014
- Winkfield Parish - (applied for by Winkfield Parish Council) originally designated in December 2015 and then amended in July 2023
View a summary map showing designated neighbourhood areas in Bracknell Forest.
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Visit the Locality website for information and support for neighbourhood planning.