Jon Herbert, Director at Troy Planning + Design, was pleased to be invited by the Planning Officers Society (POS) this month to speak to its Neighbourhood Plan Support Group about the evolving landscape of neighbourhood planning, particularly in the context of recent reductions in government funding and technical support.
During the session, Jon explored the “Birth, Death and Life” of Neighbourhood Planning, a nod to Jane Jacobs, looking at three distinct phases in the neighbourhood planning story:
The Birth: the introduction of neighbourhood planning through the Localism Act, and the initial wave of enthusiasm for truly local plan-making.
The Death: not the death of neighbourhood planning itself, but the loss of much of the funding, technical support and wider support structures that have helped many groups prepare, review and update their plans.
The Life: the positive and inspiring examples of how community groups continue to adapt, showing resilience and determination to keep local plan-making alive.
Despite the challenges groups face, we continue to see strong interest and real resilience across the sector. With further planning reform on the horizon, we anticipate a future wave of focused, locally specific neighbourhood plans coming forward.
Neighbourhood planning remains one of the major success stories of the English planning system, and an essential part of local plan-making. As local government reorganisation approaches, empowering local voices to shape the future of their own communities is more important than ever.
