PEOPLE-POWERED PLANNING

Since 2011 communities have had a new legal right to be included in decisions about the future of the places where they live and work by drawing up a Neighbourhood Plan. Members of the public can set up a Neighbourhood Planning Forum (‘designated body’) to participate in the process, but this has not been without challenges. 

In 2014 Professor Parker led a nationwide research project entitled User Experiences of Neighbourhood Planning, where groups who had participated in Neighbourhood Planning were interviewed. 72% of respondents said that the process had been more burdensome than they expected, with many reporting that guidance on the process was confusing or non-existent. In response to this feedback Professor Parker led work with Planning Aid England and the Royal Town Planning Institute to produce a set of toolkit resources for Neighbourhood Planning Groups.

Professor Parker conducted a second review of the experiences of Neighbourhood Planning Groups in 2016. The toolkits that had been developed following the 2014 review had been positively received. However, 92% still found the process more arduous than they expected, and many respondents wanted better advice and support from local authorities. These findings informed the 2017 Neighbourhood Planning Act, which cited Professor Parker’s research in its own impact assessment. The Act requires local authorities to publish plans for how they will fulfil their statutory obligation to provide neighbourhood planning support.

In 2017 Professor Parker investigated a critical point in the Neighbourhood Planning process; that is when draft plans are examined. After interviewing independent plan examiners, his findings fed into guidance produced by the Neighbourhood Planning Independent Examiner Referral Service to ensure that all parties understood this stage of neighbourhood planning and that robust plans would result. 

The University of Reading hosted a Hive Event in 2018 for Neighbourhood Planning Groups to discuss and share their experiences. These experiences and lessons learned across the phases of Neighbourhood Planning were collated, and a book by Professor Parker (with Kat Salter and Matt Wargent); Neighbourhood Planning in Practice was informed by this work and the prior research tranches. The book has been distributed to Neighbourhood Planning Groups, including the Finsbury Park Group who said, ‘it’s going to be very useful to share with others in our working group.’

Professor Parker is now sharing the ongoing research findings on Neighbourhood Planning, including speaking at the All Party Parliamentary Groups for Civic Societies and Housing and Planning, and numerous conferences, as well as liaising with government. This work is making it possible for more people to actively and effectively participate in the Neighbourhood Planning process.

• Neighbourhood Planning was introduced in 2010 and formalised through the Localism Act in 2011, giving communities the right to prepare a statutory Neighbourhood Plan.
• In 2017 a further Act was passed to refine Neighbourhood Planning processes, requiring local authorities to be accountable for providing Neighbourhood Planning support.