Planning, building and the environment

Neighbourhood Planning Front Runners

Local planning authorities in England are invited to apply for grants under the Neighbourhood Planning Front Runners scheme. The grants are to be used to help local planning authorities gain insight into how the provisions for neighbourhood planning are likely to work in practice following Commencement of the Localism Bill. Councils will be expected to undertake a planning project in close collaboration with an established community group or parish council in a manner similar to that envisaged in the Localism Bill, or, in business areas, with a local business organisation.

The Localism Bill is expected to receive Royal Assent in late 2011 and a Commencement date will follow.

Business areas - In areas predominantly occupied by business premises (including, for example, town centres or commercial districts) local planning authorities may undertake projects that are proposed and taken forward by a local business organisation. In these cases, the residential community within the area concerned would be expected also to be engaged with the project. Further, the local business organisation will be required to make a contribution to the costs of the project (which would be additional to any grant offered by the Department for Communities and Local Government)

The schemes taken forward under the auspices of the Neighbourhood Planning Front Runners scheme may vary in their scope and complexity, or in the size of the area covered. The proposals should ideally involve one or more of the following and relate to part of a local planning authority's area:

  • a development plan document and/or
  • a local development order under section 61A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990

Grant recipients will be expected to:

  • provide the parish council/community group with reasonable guidance and technical assistance to facilitate their preparation of a plan or order and
  • appoint a suitably qualified professional to undertake an independent examination of any proposed planning document

In addition, though not a requirement of funding, we would find it helpful if local planning authorities were to undertake a referendum on the proposed planning document.

Given that the relevant provisions in the Localism Bill are not yet in force, local planning authorities will need to operate within the restraints of the current system for producing development plan documents and local development orders.

Under this scheme, a grant of up to £20,000 will be made available towards the cost of each planning document.

Grant recipients may join an informal partnership (such as an Internet-based Community of Practice) in order to share experience.

Applications

Applications should be made in the form of a letter and should address the eligibility issues set out below:

Eligibility - Only local planning authorities are eligible to apply for grants under this scheme. Parish and town councils are not eligible and would need to ask their local planning authority to make an application in respect of a parish and town councils area. Similarly, private businesses are ineligible and would need to ask a local planning authority to make an application for the project that they wish to undertake. In all cases, responsibility for expenditure made using grants under this scheme remains with the local planning authority as the grant recipient.

In order to be eligible for a grant under this scheme, applications must demonstrate that:

  • the local planning authority has reached agreement with an established local community group, parish council or local business organisation to undertake the project
  • an outline map of the proposed plan area has been agreed with the community group, parish council or business organisation (and this is included in the application) and
  • the community group, parish council or local business organisation are enthusiastic about the project and will take responsibility for taking it forward under the guidance of the local planning authority

In addition, where a project is being proposed in conjunction with a local business organisation, applications must:

  • demonstrate that the area concerned is predominantly commercial in character
  • demonstrate that the business organisation will make a financial contribution to the costs and
  • explain how the local residential community will be engaged with the project

All applications must be accompanied by a clear statement of support from the community group, parish council or business organisation concerned, including their contact details and a succinct explanation of the work that the community group, parish council or business organisation proposes to undertake in taking the project forward.

A short covering letter or email should be added, providing the applicant's contact details. Applications should be sent by email in PDF format to alison.cremin@communities.gsi.gov.uk.

Grants to local planning authorities other than national park authorities will be awarded under section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003. Grants to national park authorities will be awarded under section 72 of the Environment Act 1995. The award of grants under both acts is subject to approval by HM Treasury. The award of grants under the Environment Act 1995 requires prior consultation with Natural England.

Grants will be awarded on an approximately 4-monthly basis until the total value of eligible applications exceeds the remaining available funds, at which point grants will be awarded in respect of the applications that we received earliest.

The closing date for the receipt of applications is 17.00 hrs on Friday 4 November 2011.

A list of the current Front Runners is available to download below, under 'Related downloads'.

Further information

Further information about the Neighbourhood Planning Front Runners scheme may be obtained from:

Alison Cremin
Planning - Development Plans
Department for Communities and Local Government
Email: alison.cremin@communities.gsi.gov.uk; Tel: 0303 444 1619

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