1. Central Ealing Neighbourhood Plan
Amy Tyler-Jones
Planning Aid England Advisor

2. Planning Aid – Engaging Communities in Planning
Planning Aid provide free, independent, professional planning advice to people who do not have the means to pay professional fees
provide support and training to local communities to influence and contribute to planning strategy, policy and decision making at all levels
promote and help deliver better practices in community engagement in a range of organisations
improve skills in planning and community engagement
Part of the Royal Town Planning Institute
Professional body for chartered planners in the UK
Resources secured from Government’s Supporting Communities and Neighbourhoods in Planning Fund

3. Preparing your plan - overviewNP
Community
Referendum
Independent Check
Preparing your Plan
Agreeing The Neighbourhood 5 1 2 3 4
WH NP currently at stage 2.
Once draft plan is prepared will need to consult for minimum of 6 weeks (including with statutory consultees) and make changes as necessary
Then submit your plan to the council (including Consultation Statement and Basic Conditions statement)
Council will publicise the plan for 6 weeks and appoint an independent examiner with your agreement
Stage 3 – examiner considers whether the plan meets the basic conditions
Stage 4 – “should Mid Sussex District Council use West Hoathly Neighbourhood Plan in the making of planning decisions?”
Stage 5 – if over 50% of those voting, vote YES, neighbourhood plan will be put into action

4. Review of progress to date
Neighbourhood Area & Forum designated
Neighbourhood Plan steering committee elected
We have a project plan
We have engaged with our community
We have engaged with our businesses
We have identified key issues
We have a relationship with our Local Authority
We have a draft vision for our Neighbourhood Plan
We have started compiling evidence
We have successfully applied for support to progress our Neighbourhood Plan

5. What do is left to do? Review our project plan
Analyse our consultation results
Finalise the vision & objectives for our neighbourhood plan
Create options to address our issues
Draft our Neighbourhood Plan
Write clear policies and justifications
Gather evidence to support our vision & policies
Engage further with our community and businesses
Carry out statutory consultations
Write our basic conditions and consultation statements
Submit our plan to the Local Authority for examination

6. Project Plan – Health Check

7. Analysing engagement findings
Record the data
Collate the data
Identify key issues/themes
Strength of support – evidence, number of responses
Summarise each event separately
It is important all the data collected is stored in an easy to use format. This may mean typing all the comments into a spreadsheet, keep the original wording.
Once the data is collated go through each comment or question and in a new column identify key themes, there may be more than one, and you may have sub themes.
See how often themes occur. If it is regularly repeated it needs investigating further, a one off issue may not need further research. Is there any evidence to support the view expressed or issue identified.
Create a summary of each engagement event, include number of people consulted, what the key issues where and how these are being looked at. This will help when you need to produce your consultation statement.
You may need to carry out further activities to clarify issues or research possible options and consult on these.

8. Summary of your engagement activity
When you submit your Neighbourhood Plan to the local authority for independent examination, it will need to be accompanied by a Basic Conditions statement and a Consultation Statement. The Consultation Statement should include:
• Details of who was consulted about the plan
• Explain how they were consulted
• Summaries of the main issues and concerns raised
• How these issues and concerns have been considered and or addressed

9. Recording your survey results
Name & contact details
Date received
Topic /Issue
Comments
Suggestion
Potential NP policy
Potential action
CENF response
Mr Dunn, Ealing Homes Interest group
1 Aug 2013
Affordable housing
There needs to be more affordable housing for young families
Increase proportion of 3 bed affordable homes required
Policy on affordable homes
Gather further evidence on need
Ms Strachan, Friends of Ealing Common
13 Aug
Open space
Local playground needs improving
We need play facilities for 7-12 year olds
CIL project priority list
Explore other funding options
Contact LBE Parks department
Mr Morgan, Local resident
19 Aug
Better shops
No decent green grocer
We need somewhere to buy fresh fruit & vegetables
Protect small shops
Shop local campaign
Working group to progress
E.G Exeter St James record of pre-submission consultation comments

10. Research and fact finding
Evidence gathering
Community engagement
Research and fact finding
Identify issues and options
Create vision
Objective
Objective
Objective
Policies and proposals
Policies and proposals
Policies and proposals
Reasoned justification
Reasoned justification
Reasoned justification

11. What the examiners are saying:
“Together with the objectives, the vision establishes a framework for the rest of the Neighbourhood Plan and as one reads through, the link between the vision and the detailed policies of the Neighbourhood Plan is clear.” Nigel McGurk – Tattenhall Examination Report

12. Elements of a Vision How the neighbourhood area will evolve
The general location of where development will take place and where it will not
The level and types of development in particular places

13. Remember the 4 audiences for your neighbourhood plan
Independent examiner
Voters in the referendum
Developer
Local Planning Authority

14. Meeting the basic conditions
have regard to national policies
ensure they contribute towards sustainable development
be in general conformity with the strategic policies of the local plan (Council will advise on this)
be compatible with EU obligations (SEA where relevant, human rights et al)
have regard to desirability of preserving the settings of listed building(s)
have regard to desirability of preserving the character and appearance of any conservation area(s)

15. Community Referendum Question
“ Do you want Ealing Council to use the neighbourhood plan for Central Ealing neighbourhood area to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area”

16. Planning policies
“Plans should…provide a practical framework within which decisions on planning applications can be made with a high degree of predictability and efficiency.” NPPF paragraph 17

17. Writing policies – where to start
Vision for your area
Aims and objectives
Policy themes
How will you get there?
Options, options, options
What do the strategic policies say?
What does the evidence say? (surveys, consultation results, sustainability appraisal)
Different types of policies –
Policies which provide local response to strategic policies
Policies which address type, form and impacts of development
Policies which promote development in a particular location – ‘site proposals’
Policies which address a local issue

18. Policy context National policy: Local Plan:
National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)
Local Plan:
London Plan 2011 & REMA
Ealing Development Strategy 2026
Development Sites
Development Management policies
London Plan & Revised Early Minor Alterations Oct 2013 (Consistency with the NPPF)
Ealing Development (or Core) Strategy – adopted April 2012
Development Sites & Development Management policies – examination in public completed, due to be adopted by end of 2013

19. Key rules for policy writing
Neighbourhood Plan policies should be:
Appropriate for a neighbourhood planning document
Consistent with the NPPF and the Local Plan
Positively written e.g. “proposals will be supported where…”
Clear and unambiguous
Distinction between policy and justification
Based on robust evidence base
Contain policies on development within the NA area only
Don’t include excluded development (minerals, NSIPs)/
Policies in relation to the development and use of land
Policies on development that requires planning permission
2. These are the basic conditions

20. Policy writing template

21. What other groups have done…
Multi-issue plans to single-issue plan
Create policy topic working groups:
Record areas of agreement
Record areas of disagreement
Make recommendations
Online editing ‘wiki plan’

22. The Way Ahead Are you clear on the next key steps?
Actions to take forward
What additional training would you like?
What happens next?

23. How to get in touch with us
Amy Tyler-Jones Tel: Adam Brown National Advice Line: Web: 23