Neighbourhood planning

Neighbourhood Development Plans are voluntary local planning policy documents that are written and developed by a community, usually led by a town or parish council.

Once a neighbourhood plan is made, and adopted in High Peak, it will form part of the Development Plan for High Peak. This means that it will become a main consideration within the local planning system.

What a Neighbourhood Plan can and cannot do

A Neighbourhood Plan can:

• Decide where and what type of development should happen in the neighbourhood
• Promote more development than is set out in the Local Plan
• Include policies, for example regarding design standards, that take precedence over existing policies in the Local Plan for the neighbourhood - provided the Neighbourhood Plan policies do not conflict with the strategic policies in the Local Plan.

A Neighbourhood Plan cannot:

• Conflict with the strategic policies in the Local Plan prepared by the local planning authority
• Be used to prevent development that is included in the Local Plan
• Be prepared by a body other than a parish or town council or a neighbourhood forum.

How to get involved

We can offer the following assistance to help you produce a neighbourhood plan:

• advice and guidance, including an initial meeting to explain the process
• provision of local maps 
• specialist technical advice, offering a 'critical friend' role throughout the drafting of the plan
• assistance with consultation and publicity programmes

Neighbourhood planning areas

You can find out about the progress of the the Neighbourhood Plan in your area by clicking on the links below: