1. Supporting Communities and Neighbourhoods in Planning

2. CPRE Oxfordshire promotes the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of the Oxfordshire landscape.
Oxfordshire Association of Local Councils advises and trains town and parish councils and parish meetings to enable them to work with partners to serve their community.

3. Supporting Communities and Neighbourhoods in Planning (SCNP) programme
DCLG initiative offering communities a supportive boost to help make their neighbourhood vision a reality
New powers introduced in the Localism Bill give local people a real voice to shape development in their area through a neighbourhood plan. To ensure communities have the right support and advice to meet their own aspirations, the SCNP programme will provide assistance to local groups developing neighbourhood plans.

4. SCNP deliverers 4 delivery partners:
Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) working in partnership with the National Association of Local Councils (NALC)
Princes Foundation, Locality and RTPI/Planning Aid
We will be drawing on the strength and experience of CPRE’s and NALC’s network of county associations, branches and parish councils to help enable local communities to better understand and participate in the planning system

5. About NALC and CPRE NALC – The National Association of Local Councils
Representative body for 9,000 ‘local’ town and parish councils throughout England
Responsible for over 80,000 independently elected councillors
As a network, Local Councils employ over 25,000 staff with an expenditure in excess of £500m
Around 16 million people live in areas served by a Local Council nationwide
This represents up to 30% of the population
CPRE – The Campaign to Protect Rural England
One of the largest environmental charities in the UK
Renowned for the organisation’s expertise in the field of planning
Instrumental in the development of the original 1947 Town and Country Planning Act and the final form of the recent NPPF
Has a branch in every county with 200 local groups and over 60,000 members

6. SCNP Programme extension
Extension of funding from DCLG from August 2012 – March 2013
2 core delivery pathways with focus on neighbourhood planning:
Workshops: Neighbourhood Plans – getting started
We will be running a number of neighbourhood planning workshops to help those communities that want to develop a Neighbourhood Plan get started.
Tailored neighbourhood planning support
Communities that have decided to deliver a Neighbourhood Plan can apply for tailored support to help them turn their aspirations into reality.
Details of the tailored support package and application are available on the Planning Help website.

7. Advice
General advice
Website - – offers advice to enable greater involvement in planning decisions that shape where you live
Planning Hotline – (available Thursdays pm)
Publications – 3 publications published offering advice and guidance on planning
How to respond to planning applications – an 8-step guide
Planning Explained
How to shape where you live: a guide to Neighbourhood Planning
E-learning modules–all publications adapted into online training courses using ‘real world’ scenarios
Available now at