Neighbourhood Plan

Neighbourhood Plans are at the heart of the Government's localism agenda and enable local communities to plan their future development, for example:

Where new housing or employment might be located.
Any road improvements that are needed.
Whether there is scope for renewable energy schemes in the local area.

Neighbourhood Plans must be developed, resourced and led by the town / parish council with input from local residents and businesses. They are a legal document and can form the basis against which planning applications can be decided.

The 'Your Place, Your Plan' leaflet gives a basic guide to Neighbourhood Planning:

Download 'Your Place, Your Plan'

The preparation of Neighbourhood Plans in West Oxfordshire is supported. Links to existing and emerging Neighbourhood Plans can be accessed below;

Chipping Norton Neighbourhood Plan

Thinking about doing a Neighbourhood Plan for your area?

Consider the following points:

What do you want to achieve for your area by doing a plan for the town / parish?

With a Neighbourhood Plan, communities will be able to establish general planning policies for the development and use of land in a neighbourhood. You will be able to say, for example, where new homes and offices should be built and what they should look like. The Neighbourhood Plan will set a vision for the future. It can be detailed, or general, depending on what your local community want.

What skills and resources do you have to do the plan?

We can offer support and advice but the plan must be owned and produced by the local community. Be aware that there may be other costs than just people's time - do you have any funds to use?

What should you do then?

Once you have an idea about what you want to achieve and how you migh do it, contact our Partnership Development Officer to discuss how we can assist. We may be able to advise of others that can help.

Email: Astrid Harvey
Call: 01993 861420

What happens next....

We will provide appropriate support to town and parish councils wishing to develop a Neighbourhood Plan including, for example, provision of technical advice and assistance with consultation.

The plan will need to be tested against the overarching Core Strategy for West Oxfordshire, as well as national policies and any adjoining Neighbourhood Plans through an independent examination.