Green light for Wheathampstead Neighbourhood Plan
Wheathampstead residents are set to have greater influence over local development as St Albans City and District Council has approved the Neighbourhood Plan Area for the Parish.
At a meeting on Tuesday 21 July, Cabinet agreed to Wheathampstead Parish Council’s request to designate the parish as the area covered by the village’s Neighbourhood Plan.
It also requested that the Parish Council engage with Harpenden Town Council to work together on any issues that potentially impact on Harpenden.
Under the Localism Act 2011, Town and Parish Councils have the power to draw up Neighbourhood Plans. However, they must first obtain agreement from the District Council on the area that the Neighbourhood Plan will cover.
So far the Council has agreed to requests for the parishes of St Stephen, Redbourn, Colney Heath and Sandridge to each become Neighbourhood Plan Areas.
Neighbourhood Plans give local people the opportunity to have a greater say on the type and extent of development they want for their community. They provide guidance on what future development is considered acceptable and can indicate locations for homes, transport infrastructure, community facilities and businesses. They also provide guidance on issues such as the protection of local heritage.
Neighbourhood Plans must reflect the development needs of the wider area and take into account the District Council’s assessment of housing and other development needs.
The District Council is responsible for allocating areas for housing through its Local Plan. However, Neighbourhood Plans can be used to identify suitable locations for additional housing development where there is support for this locally. They cannot be used to reduce the amount of housing planned by the District Council as this would undermine the strategy of its local plan.
Cllr Julian Daly, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Conservation and Leader of St Albans City and District Council, said: “Neighbourhood Plans provide extra guidance to developers on what kind of development is acceptable to local communities at a grass roots level. This guidance adds to the District Council’s Local Plan. It does not replace it. The District Council, as the local planning authority, retains responsibility for determining planning applications for the entire District even where Neighbourhood Plans are in place.”
In making decisions on individual planning applications, the District Council must take Neighbourhood Plans into account, where adopted.
The Cabinet meeting on Tuesday 21 July was webcast and can be watched on the Council’s website.
The full report on the Wheathampstead Neighbourhood Plan Area is available in the papers for the meeting on Tuesday 21 July.
Councillor contact:
Cllr Julian Daly, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Conservation and Leader of St Albans City and District Council
Mob: 07775 657200
Contact for the media:
Amanda Wilkinson,
Media and Internal Communications Officer
St Albans City and District Council
Tel: 01727 819317
E-mail: amanda.wilkinson@stalbans.gov.uk
Follow us on Twitter:http://twitter.com/StAlbansCouncil
Notes:
1. More information about St Albans City and District Council’s approach to neighbourhood planning is available on the website.
2. More information about Neighbourhood Plans is available on the Department for Communities and Local Government’s website.