1. Positive Planning Seminar CPRE Oxfordshire
23rd November 2016

2. ‘Neighbourhood Planning in Rural England: a step in the right direction’
Prof Gavin Parker
Professor of Planning, University of Reading

3. Neighbourhood Planning in Rural England
Three parts:
NP has attracted criticism – before and since launch
Drivers and underpinning ideas…
Experimental policy vehicle - Lessons learned

4. Neighbourhood Planning in Rural England
1. Underpinning ideas
Localism / ‘double devolution’ and before
Trust, understanding, control – longstanding challenge
Quality of decisions sharing ownership of problems (and experience of PP, CLP in rural England)
Co-production

5. Neighbourhood Planning in Rural England
State of NP…quick review
Growing take-up
Rural areas leading
Waves of completion
Numerous issues

6. Neighbourhood Planning in overview
Localism Act 2011 and Frontrunners (April 2011)
By November 2016…
1908 designated areas (some dormant)
300 to examination - spread across 96 LPAs
245 to referendum
Average time taken 29 months (this underplays the difficulties)
Sample of 270 to Examination – all bar one needed modification:
x5 plans failed
x92 needed ‘extensive’ modification
x111 recommended deletion of policies / x6 insertion
Average number of policies = x18
Range of content/scope: x2 - x114 policies!

7. Can compare the geographical spread regionally and disaggregate participating neighbourhoods based on their Urban-Rural Classification of Local Authority Districts.
This graph shows that, as expected by many commentators, a large proportion of the 1776 designated areas were in rural areas – 55% of the total were in the first two rural categories (i.e. ‘largely’ and ‘mainly’ rural).
Critics foresaw danger that NP could become preserve of affluent rural Parishes…
c90% of designated areas in parished areas - 55% in largely rural or mainly rural areas
By October 2016 only 166 Forums

8. Spread of Neighbourhood Planning across England
41% in South East / South West

9. Spread of NP across Socio-economic profile (IMD)
Vast majority in more affluent areas (5=most deprived)

10. Neighbourhood Planning in Rural England
2. Criticisms
Burdens (cost, time, difficulty)
Value-adding? (making a difference, growth, meeting needs)
Place in the wider system (timing, influence, challenge)
Legitimacy, inclusivity and responsibility
Still learning…

11. Neighbourhood Planning in Rural England
3. Lessons learned
Burdensome
c70% with consultants
Intra-community politics
Support arrangements / communications
Role of LA
Reflection of community preferences?
Some standing with LPAs / Developers
Quality / robustness
Not necessarily a tool for all – need to ensure that alternatives are visible, valued and supported
Objective-led i.e. the right tool and support for the task / substantive issues faced…

12. Neighbourhood Planning in Rural England
Concluding remarks
NP not going away anytime soon
Activity in rural areas strong
Can be positive - has to be done well
Standing with LPAs enhanced
Need to engage and evidence
Added value?... Process benefits
Absence of Local Plan… ‘defensive localism’!
Examination arrangements… ‘light touch’ is short-sighted.
Govt need to look again at design and operation of process

13. Neighbourhood Planning in Rural England
Parker, G. and Salter, K. (2016) ‘Five years of neighbourhood planning: a review of take-up and distribution’
Town and Country Planning, Vol. 85(5):
Parker, G., Salter, K. and Hickman, H. (2016) ‘Caution: Examinations in progress’: the operation of Neighbourhood Plan Examinations in England’
Town and Country Planning, Vol. 85(11): in press.
THANK YOU

14. NP Context
“Neighbourhood planning gives communities direct power to develop a shared vision for their neighbourhood and shape the development and growth of their local area. They are able to choose where they want new homes, shops and offices to be built, have their say on what those new buildings should look like and what infrastructure should be provided, and grant planning permission for the new buildings they want to see go ahead” (DCLG, 2014: para 002 Reference ID: ).

15. Neighbourhood Planning: Theory and Context
2011 Localism Act
Production of Neighbourhood Development Plans seen as a tool to localise responsibility for development.
Part of a rethink about how local communities engage with planning.
Enable growth…(+enhance knowledge and understanding?)
It is also one element of a shift towards drawing in non-state actors to plan-making and creating markets for planning services  
Parallel aims:
seeking a pluralisation and
marketisation of planning practice
effort to ‘declutter’ and deregulate planning
sits comfortably within a neo-liberal framework
Corresponds with an anti-expert sensibility