Neighbourhood Plans are a well established part of England’s planning framework.   The Localism Act 2011 amended the Town and Country Planning Act, to introduce this very local layer of planning. There are over 1,800 neighbourhood plans in place across England.  The majority have been prepared by parish councils in rural areas.

In London and other non-parished city areas, it is neighbourhood forums which prepare nighbourhood plans.  The most recent map from www.neighbourhoodplanners.london dates from 2022 and shows 26 plan in force across Loondon.  Some Boroughs are more supportive of neighbourhood planning than others.  Nine Boroughs had no NPs in place in 2022.  RBKC has two (Norland and StQW).

The 2018 St Quintin and Woodlands Neighbourhood Plan and its supporting documents can be downloaded from the RB Kensington and Chelsea website at this link.   The Plan is being revised and updated and you can download the pre-submission Consultation Draft from on this website.

A Neighbourhood Plan becomes part of the statutory development plan for the area, if successful at a referendum.  This statutory status gives them the same ‘material weight’ in decisions on planing applications as policies in the relevant local plan.  The local planning authority, and not the forum, remains the decision-making body.

A Neighbourhood Plan must comply with European and national legislation and must have appropriate regard to national policy.