Neighbourhood planning

What is neighbourhood planning?

Neighbourhood planning was introduced by the Localism Act 2011. It empowers communities to shape the development and growth of a local area through the production of a Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP), a Neighbourhood Development Order (NDO) and a Community Right to Build Order (CRTBO). See Practice Note: Introduction to neighbourhood planning.

The Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012, SI 2012/637 set out the detailed procedures and requirements for NDPs, NDOs and CRTBOs.

Defining ‘neighbourhood area’

There is no comprehensive statutory definition of ‘neighbourhood area’; local communities are free to define their own neighbourhood areas for the purposes of preparing a plan, subject to approval by their local planning authority (LPA). Section 61G of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (TCPA 1990) requires that an LPA can only designate a ‘neighbourhood area’ where:

•
a relevant body (ie a parish council or neighbourhood forum) has applied to the LPA for an area specified in the application to be designated as a neighbourhood area, and
•
the LPA is determining the application

In determining the application, the LPA must have regard

To view the latest version of this document and thousands of others like it, sign-in with LexisNexis or register for a free trial.

TAKE A FREE TRIAL

Latest Planning News

Senedd progresses Building Safety (Wales) Bill to Stage 2 committee consideration

The Building Safety (Wales) Bill has advanced to Stage 2 committee consideration as of 10 December 2025, following the agreement on the Legislative Consent Motion and Financial Resolution. Introduced by Cabinet Secretary Jayne Bryant MS, the Bill seeks to establish a comprehensive building safety regime for multi-occupied residential buildings in Wales. It requires the registration of buildings that are at least 11 metres high or comprise five or more storeys, and it assigns new responsibilities to local authorities, designating them as building safety and fire and rescue authorities.

Planning weekly highlights—11 December 2025

This week’s edition of Planning weekly highlights includes: a court decision clarifying the application of Finch to aviation emissions in a DCO application; a Court of Appeal case confirming that withdrawal following expert’s change of evidence is not unreasonable conduct for costs in planning inquiries; new guidance on significant infrastructure projects in Wales; a Lords library briefing on the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill; and updated guidance on Mayoral Development Corporation legislation and scrutiny.

HSE publishes updated guidance for building control bodies under the Building Safety Act

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published updated guidance for building control bodies (BCBs) in England and Wales, setting out the requirements and assessment criteria for registration as a building control approver, providing templates for the submission of operational standards rules data to the Building Safety Regulator (BSR), and detailing the BSR’s inspection selection and prioritisation criteria. The guidance forms part of the regulatory framework that now applies to both private-sector and local authority building control functions.

MHCLG updates guidance on Mayoral Development Corporation legislation and scrutiny

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has updated its guidance on the legislation and scrutiny of Mayoral Development Corporations in combined authorities and combined county authorities. Following sector consultation, the revised guidance clarifies the role of Mayors in appointing Chairs, offers advice on managing liabilities remaining after the closure of subsidiary companies, and refines the roles and responsibilities of officers in both mayoral combined and combined county authorities. Additionally, the update includes revisions to the list of statutory instruments that confer functions related to Mayoral Development Corporations on these authorities. This new guidance builds on the original publication, which was issued in response to a recommendation from the Tees Valley independent review report dated 29 January 2024, and it further clarifies legislation concerning oversight, reserve matters, and consent in relation to Mayoral Development Corporations.