Chalfont St Peter Neighbourhood Plan: Briefing Note
What is a Neighbourhood Plan?
A Neighbourhood Development Plan is a new type of planning document. It is part of the
Government’s new approach to planning under the Localism Act, which aims to give local
people more say about what goes on in their area.
The Neighbourhood Plan is an opportunity for local people to have control over the future of
the village, by actively planning for new development and protecting those parts of the village
that are important to its character and function. It has relied heavily on the village wide
consultation of 2010 and subsequent consultation groups and opportunities.
Who has produced the Plan?
The Neighbourhood Plan has been put together by a group of residents under the wing of the
Chalfont St Peter Parish Council. This ‘Neighbourhood Plan Group’ has been helped by
Tibbalds Planning & Urban Design, a consultancy with considerable experience in
Neighbourhood Planning.
What’s this consultation all about?
This is the major formal consultation on the Neighbourhood Plan. It is required by the
Localism Act’s Regulations, and must last for a minimum period of six weeks. It is THE main
opportunity for local people to have their say on the Plan.
Once we have looked at all of the comments made, the Neighbourhood Plan Group will
decide how to change the Plan to respond to the issues raised. The Plan will then be
submitted to Chiltern District Council to begin the process of Examination. This process
checks that the Plan is legally sound. Only then can the Plan proceed to Referendum. This
is a vote at which local people decide whether the Plan should be accepted, and is likely to
take place in May 2014.
What else should I know?
Although Neighbourhood Plans are drawn up by Parish and Town Councils, they are mainly
used by District Councils as part of their Local Development Framework (LDF) - the collection
of documents that sets out planning policy for the District. Neighbourhood Plans have an
important role to play in the District Council’s decision-making on planning applications from
acceptance of the Plan through to 2025.
There are some things that a plan can do, such as:
Allocate development sites in addition to those in CDC’s Core Strategy and Local
Plan, if that is what the residents want.
Influence what type of development, as defined in the Core Strategy, should happen
in the neighborhood
However, even though the Government’s intention is for local people to decide what goes on
in their towns, the Localism Act sets out some important limits. One of these is that all
Neighbourhood Plans must be in line with higher level planning policy; they must be in line
with the National Planning Policy Framework (otherwise known as the NPPF) and local
policy, in particular the adopted Chiltern District Council Core Strategy. The Neighbourhood
Plan cannot set out policies that contradict the Core Strategy. It is important to bear this in
mind when commenting on the Neighbourhood Plan.
How do I take part in the consultation?
You can download a copy of the Plan from www.cspplan.org.uk. Alternatively, you can
look at copies of the Plan at the Chalfont St Peter Community Library or at the Parish
Council’s offices. Then fill in a Feedback Form and either post to the Parish Council Offices
or e-mail to response@cspplan.org.uk Full instructions are provided on the Feedback Form.
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