Minutes

3        WOOTTON PARISH NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN – APPLICATION FOR NEIGHBOURHOOD AREA STATUS – The Director: Communities submitted a report informing the Cabinet Member that Wootton Parish Council had applied to have its area formally designated for the purpose of preparing a Neighbourhood Plan and seeking agreement to approve the application for Neighbourhood Area status.

The Localism Act 2011 introduced new opportunities for communities to get involved in planning their areas by preparing neighbourhood plans, neighbourhood development orders, and community right to build orders. The Act and associated neighbourhood planning regulations gave town/parish councils and neighbourhood forums powers to shape and encourage delivery of new development.

Before a town/parish council or neighbourhood forum could begin preparing a neighbourhood plan they must apply to have the area they wished the plan to cover to be formally designated. The council was responsible for receiving and determining applications for the designation of a Neighbourhood Area. The Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 explained the requirements for the determination of a Neighbourhood Area application.

Wootton Parish Council submitted an application to the council on 5 March 2024 to have the whole parish formally designated with the intention of starting work on a neighbourhood plan. The application was attached at Appendix 1 to the report,  together with a map showing the extent of the area at Appendix 2.  Planning Practice Guidance stated that where a parish council applied for the whole of the area of the parish to be designated as a neighbourhood area, the local planning authority must designate the whole of the area applied for.

The amended Neighbourhood Planning Regulations removed the requirement to consult on an area application in certain circumstances. These circumstances included where the neighbourhood area consisted of the whole of the town/parish council area and where none of the neighbourhood area extended outside the town/parish council area. The Regulations also stipulated that the local planning authority must exercise their powers under the 1990 Act to designate the specified area as a neighbourhood area.

Resolved – (a) That the report be noted, and (b) that the approach set out in Option 1, at paragraph 3.2 of the report, to designate Wootton Parish Council for Neighbourhood Area status, be approved.