Advice and guidance
Neighbourhood plan process
| Stage | Town or parish | Shropshire Council |
| 1. Preparation |
Sound out the local community on their vision for a neighbourhood plan. Meet with a member of the Planning Policy team at Shropshire Council to discuss options. |
Meet with the town or parish to discuss options. |
| 2. Reg 6: area designation |
Submit an application to Shropshire Council to designate a neighbourhood area. |
Publicise and consult on the area application for a minimum of six weeks. Produce a cabinet report. Create a new webpage for the neighbourhood plan. |
| 3, Establishment of steering group |
Set up the neighbourhood plan steering group. Apply for funding (up to £10,000 available from locality). Appoint a consultant. |
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| 4. Draft plan writing |
Prepare evidence base and technical assessments. Engage local stakeholders. Create a first draft of the neighbourhood plan and submit it to Shropshire Council for comment. |
Provide appropriate supporting information. Produce comments on draft plan. |
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5. Reg 14: draft plan consultation |
Publicise the draft plan and invite representations. Consult the statutory consultees. Consider consultation responses and amend plan if appropriate. |
Provide list of statutory consultees. |
| 6. Reg 15: draft plan submission |
Submit the draft plan and accompanying documents to Shropshire Council. At this point the council is responsible for any further changes and updates. |
Check that submitted proposal complies with all relevant legislation. |
| 7. Reg 16: statutory consultation |
Meet with Shropshire Council to discuss the outcome of the consultation. |
Publicise the proposal for a minimum of six weeks and invite representations. Consult the statutory consultees. Meet with the steering group to discuss the outcome of the consultation. |
| 8. Examination |
Work with Shropshire Council on the appointment of an independent examiner. |
Appoint an independent examiner in consultation with the steering group. They produce a report which will advise whether or not the plan proceeds to referendum, with or without modifications. If the former, create a schedule of modifications based on examiner’s report and amend the plan. Produce cabinet report and receive cabinet approval. |
| 9. Referendum |
Publish notice of referendum. Polling takes place, organised by Democratic Services. If more than half vote in favour of the neighbourhood plan, the plan will be adopted as part of the statutory development plan for the area. |
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| 10. Adoption |
Prepare report for full council which will then vote on whether to adopt the neighbourhood plan. Notify statutory consultees. |
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| 11. Expenditure claim |
Claim back expenses. |
The Gov.uk website is full of advice and guidance for the whole process – for those considering why to do a plan right through to adoption.
It includes questions and answers on:
- What is neighbourhood planning
- Who leads on neighbourhood planning
- The local planning authorities role
- Designating a neighbourhood area
- Preparing the plan
- Consultation and publicity
- Submitting the draft plan to the planning authority
- The independent examination
- The basic conditions the plan must meet to proceed to referendum,
- Neighbourhood planning referendum
- Updating a neighbourhood plan
Locality provide information and technical advice including:
- Tips on setting up your steering group
- Funding available
...and have a very informative quarterly newsletter. You can subscribe by visiting Locality's neighbourhood planning pages.