Neighbourhood Planning

• Is Neighbourhood Planning the right approach? (PDF) [176KB] (opens new window)
• Establish a steering group and get organised (PDF) [139KB] (opens new window)
• Steering group sample terms of reference (PDF) [132KB] (opens new window)  
• Defining your neighbourhood area (PDF) [144KB] (opens new window)
• Application to designate a Neighbourhood Area (PDF) [102KB] (opens new window)

• Getting funding and support (PDF) [117KB] (opens new window)
• Getting to know your neighbourhood area (PDF) [159KB] (opens new window)
• Developing your themes, vision and objectives  (PDF) [152KB] (opens new window)
• Developing options and preferred approach  (PDF) [124KB] (opens new window)
• Preparing the detailed content of your plan (PDF) [129KB] (opens new window)
• Environmental Assessment  (PDF) [152KB] (opens new window)
• Pre-submission consultation  (PDF) [128KB] (opens new window)
• Submitting your plan (PDF) [113KB] (opens new window)  
• Writing a basic conditions statement  (PDF) [123KB] (opens new window)
• Writing a consultation statement  (PDF) [97KB] (opens new window)
• What themes can a Neighbourhood Plan cover (PDF) [186KB] (opens new window)
• What new evidence might we need to collect (PDF) [208KB] (opens new window)

Testing and approving your plan  (PDF) [115KB] (opens new window)

• Implementing and monitoring your plan (PDF) [119KB] (opens new window)  
• Reviewing your plan (PDF) [159KB] (opens new window)  

• contains a descriptive analysis of the relationship between landscape, settlement patterns and buildings and describes the qualities and characteristics that people value in their village and its surroundings
• inform the design of new development in an area
• When approved, can become a planning material consideration which the council must take into account when determining planning applications
• aim is to encourage developers and householders to design new buildings or extensions (and other elements such as fences and outbuildings) so that they are in keeping with existing local character
• are written and researched by local communities, with only advisory input from the council
• represent a community view of how new development should be designed in order to retain a sense of place

Wiltshire Council has produced guidance and a protocol on producing village design statements, both are available to download below.

• Village Design Statement Guidance (PDF) [123KB] (opens new window)
• Village Design Statement Protocol (PDF) [176KB] (opens new window)

Once approved by the area planning committee, village design statements will become a material planning consideration. This means that they are a consideration which the council must take into account when determining planning applications.

• Chute Design Guide (opens new window)

• identifies local needs and local views within the community
• can potentially inform the council's policies, decisions and actions as well as those of other public service providers.
• does not have formal status and cannot override local plan policy

Further information on Parish / Community area plans can be found by following Community First (opens new window).

Would you like more detailed policies for your area than those already within the Local Plan?

It might be worth taking a look at the Local Plan to ensure that the policies within do not already cover the local issues you have identified.

Development within your parish will be considered against the Wiltshire Council Local Plan (i.e., Wiltshire Core Strategy) and national policy.

Neighbourhood Development Orders

• can directly grant planning permission for certain kinds of developments within a neighbourhood area
• this could be full planning permission or outline planning permission
• applications:
  • can have conditions attached
  • be site-specific
  • or grant more generalised development rights across a neighbourhood area
• they will become part of Wiltshire Councils Development Plan (subject to independent examination and successful local referendum)
• where there is a NDO in place there would not be a need to apply to the council for planning permission for the development it covers (similar to a Local Development Order).

Neighbourhood Development Orders (opens new window)

Community Right to Build Orders 

A Community Right to Build Order is a form of Neighbourhood Development Order that can be used to grant planning permission for small scale development for community benefit on a specific site or sites in a neighbourhood area. It can be created by a local community organisation (see Legislation.gov.uk: The Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (opens new window)), so not restricted to a Town or Parish Council. 

A Community Right to Build Order can be used (for example) to approve the building of:

• homes
• shops
• businesses
• affordable housing for rent or sale
• community facilities
• playgrounds

Where the community organisation wishes to develop the land itself (subject to acquiring the land if appropriate), then the resulting assets can only be disposed of, improved or developed in a manner which the organisation considers benefits the local community or a section of it.