What Is A Neighbourhood Development Plan?

A Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) gives a local parish or town council the power to produce a development plan for their area. These often follow some public consultation to decide what its residents would like to see where. Within the plan they are able to choose where they want new homes as well as community buildings, leisure facilities and commercial property to be built. It provides a platform for them to have their say on what those new buildings should look like and what infrastructure should be provided. NDP policies are often implemented through local Parish Council’s consultation on planning applications within their local area. It is therefore becoming increasingly important for developers, architects, planning consultants and householders to consult the NDP for their local area before planning the siting or design of a new development.

What Does It Mean For You?

Many rural parish councils are in the process of drawing up their NDP’s. Where an area does not yet have an NDP, this can be attractive to developers as they do not have any local policies to comply with in relation to the location of a new development, its size, design or other infrastructure that parishes would like to see provided as part of the proposal. Parish Council’s will still be consulted on new developments but without an NDP to back up their response to it, they have less power to oppose it. It is therefore important for landowners with land bordering existing villages or settlements to engage in their local NDP process in order to be aware of emerging policies that may affect their property in the future.

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