1. Neighbourhood Planning in Worplesdon 14 th March 2014

2. Neighbourhood Planning What is it? …and what is it not? Is it right for us? Is it right for us NOW? Who leads on producing a plan? How much does it cost? What funding is available?

3. What is a Neighbourhood Plan? A land use plan that will be used to determine planning applications It can cover – Your parish – An area within your parish, e.g. a ward – More than one parish IT WILL HAVE TEETH

4. What is a Neighbourhood Plan? An NP cannot be used to say ‘no’ to growth – Guilford BC is going to be making the big growth decisions A Neighbourhood Plan in Worplesdon will have to be positive about accepting growth – That growth will happen anyway but an NP could help to shape it

5. Who leads on a Neighbourhood Plan? Led by the Parish Council – The ‘appropriate body’ under the Localism Act for a plan covering any part of the parish – PC cannot be forced to produce a plan Work does not have to be undertaken solely by the Parish Council – Needs to reflect the views of the whole community – Referendum

6. How many others are doing this? As at 7 th March 2014 – 986 areas applied for neighbourhood area designation – 716 areas designated – 33 plans submitted for examination – 21 plans completed examination – 9 plans in place

7. General conformity Your Neighbourhood Plan has to be in “general conformity” with your borough council’s Local Plan – Not absolute conformity Two aspects – Conformity with what in the local plan? – Conformity to what plan?

8. What can your Neighbourhood Plan cover? It cannot cover strategic matters – Housing, employment targets where they are clearly stated – Very large sites identified by the Borough Council It can cover pretty much everything else and be in ‘general conformity’

9. Which plan must the Neighbourhood Plan conform to? Conformity must be with an adopted local plan – …not an emerging one, unless it has been examined and declared sound But you cannot just ignore an emerging local plan – You ignore Guildford’s emerging Local Plan at your peril!

10. Guildford planning context The emerging Local Plan still at early stages – Issues and Options completed – First draft Plan expected Summer 2014 Not expected to be adopted until September 2015

11. Guildford planning context Issues and options identify possible sites – Land west and south west of Fairlands – major mixed use – Land at Blackwell Farm, Hogs Back – major mixed use – Land west of Jacobs Well and south of Salt Box Road – employment – Various sites for possible park-and-ride These are all potential strategic sites

12. Can we influence these major, strategic sites? Potentially, but not through Neighbourhood Plan process – These are ‘strategic’ sites so are not within the remit of the Neighbourhood Plan to include or exclude You are best engaging in the ongoing Local Plan consultation – Trying to do this through a NP will almost certainly fail and divert resources

13. Timescales Neighbourhood Plans are not quick – Getting the community to understand what it is and why they should get involved – Set up Working Groups – Gather evidence – Consider the options – Choose the preferred option – Prepare the plan – Consultation, examination, referendum

14. Timescales This is not a small community – 8,500 population – Nearly 3,500 households Other equivalent plans are taking at least 18 months to produce a draft Neighbourhood Plan An NP will have no weight until a very late stage

15. Evidence Robust evidence is key to success – An examiner will want to see this Evidence is not just what the community thinks It has to be balanced with ‘hard’ evidence – Data, e.g. 2011 Census, house prices, etc – Technical reports – GBC’s evidence base

16. Referendum At the end of the process, there has to be a referendum – Open to all those on the electoral roll within the NP area The NP can only be put in place if more than 50% of those that turn out vote ‘yes’ Even then, plans could be subject to judicial review – Tattenhall

17. Costs How much would a Neighbourhood Plan for Worplesdon cost? Mainly the cost of providing support – A function of how much local expertise you have – £7,000 - £12,000 Plus your administration costs You don’t pay for the examination or referendum Total cost of £15,000 - £18,000 ??

18. Funding There is Government funding available Grants of up to £7,000 Grant application is straightforward but has to be carefully presented – Start the process (particularly neighbourhood area designation) – Get commitment from the community – Have an idea of the objectives and issues the plan will cover The funding decision is quick!

19. What support can we provide? We can provide as much support as you need – Including accessing grant funding We are proficient in a range of community engagement techniques We are experts in technical evidence and policy writing Can bring emerging experience of neighbourhood planning – Currently working in Godalming, Chiddingfold, Cranleigh and Fernhurst

20. Chris Bowden Director Navigus Planning Tel: 01206 700260 Email: chris@navigusplanning.co.ukchris@navigusplanning.co.uk Web: www.navigusplanning.co.ukwww.navigusplanning.co.uk