How can you monitor a made Neighbourhood Plan?

Our Planning Director, Leani Haim, helped to answer questions at the free Locality Neighbourhood Planning Training Session on Reviewing a made Neighbourhood Plan – when, why and how? in October as a Neighbourhood Planning Champion. The event was well-attended, with some interesting discussions taking place. The session highlighted the importance of implementation and monitoring of neighbourhood plans, with many participants unclear on the best time to review made neighbourhood plans, particularly in light of the changes to the NPPF and housing numbers now finalised by central government.

It reminded us of research undertaken by Leani in 2021 on the monitoring and implementation of made neighbourhood plans.

The research indicated that Town, Parish and Community Councils, and Neighbourhood Forums, adopted various methods of monitoring made neighbourhood plans, including:

• Employing a Town Plan Officer,

• Operating Neighbourhood Plan Implementation Committees,

• Regular reports to the Town or Parish Council and

• The publication of formal Monitoring Reports (one Parish Council engaged a consultant to produce this.)

The research also found no evidence of references to made neighbourhood plan policies in two-thirds of Parish and Town Council’s responses to planning applications. While this does not indicate that made neighbourhood plan policies are not being used in the planning decision process, it raises questions surrounding the effective implementation of made neighbourhood plan policies. This is more concerning when so few local planning authorities monitor the implementation of neighbourhood plan policies – see below.

NP monitoring data June 2021

Local Planning Authorities

• 17% fully monitor made neighbourhood plan policies

• 27% monitor housing commitments in made neighbourhood plans

• 59% monitor the progress of neighbourhood plans solely focussed on the process (area designation, pre-submission, submission, examination, referendum, made)

Qualifying Bodies (Town, Parish, Community Councils and Neighbourhood Forums)

• 16% of made neighbourhood plans were being reviewed

• 17% actively monitoring the delivery and implementation of made neighbourhood plans

• 67% undertaking no monitoring activity of made neighbourhood plans

Overall the research showed a considerable lack of monitoring of neighbourhood plan policy implementation. There is a focus on reporting the progress of neighbourhood plans through the process rather than the effectiveness of their policy implementation by Local Planning Authorities. There is a need to encourage and even assist in the implementation stages of a neighbourhood plan, including effective monitoring.

Neighbourhood Plan Monitoring and Neighbourhood Plan Review?

One of the advantages of monitoring your made neighbourhood plan is that staying up to date with how the policies in your plan are being applied in planning decisions, alongside local and national changes that impact on your area, will help you know when it's the right time to formally review your plan.

For Town and Parish Councils, NALC’s model financial regulations allow for specialist services to be engaged without the need to engage in a full procurement exercise - this is particularly useful when only one specialist is likely to be suitable, or a quick project timeline is required. If you know a professional planning consultant or person that you trust, we would urge you to engage their services in helping you to implement an effective monitoring and implementation structure for your made neighbourhood plan.

Equally, if you’re considering reviewing your neighbourhood plan, and you’re unsure how to approach this kind of decision, please do contact us - we are happy to help you make a well-informed decision.