Torbay Council

Cookie Policy

Neighbourhood Planning

Where are we now?

Community Partnerships and Torbay Council have agreed that three Neighbourhood Plans will be prepared for Torbay, one each for Torquay, Paignton and Brixham.
Torbay Council was successful in a bid (2011) to take part in the Neighbourhood Planning Front Runners Scheme, to secure £20,000 in funding from central government to help create a Neighbourhood Plan for Brixham.  Subsequent bids for the Torquay and Paignton Neighbourhood Forums have been successful with the fifth wave of frontrunners announced in March 2012.
Individual applications have been received by Torquay, Paignton and Brixham Peninsula Forums for designation as Forums and Areas. A copy of the applications are available on the Neighbourhood Planning Forum & Area Applications webpage.
At the Council meeting of 6 December 2012, the applications for Neighbourhood Areas and Forums were approved.

How do I get involved or find out more?

If you would like to be involved in neighbourhood planning and have your views heard, please contact the Strategic Planning Team or the Neighbourhood Forum Secretary for your area.  the Spatial Planning Team have also produced a Torbay Neighbourhood Planning Guide in the Related Documents Section below.  The Department of Communities and Local Government have also produced a Neighbourhood planning – frequently asked questions leaflet opens in a new window.

Latest updates

Individual applications have been made by Torquay Paignton and Brixham Peninsula Forums for designation as Forums and Areas. A copy of the applications are available on the Neighbourhood Planning Forum & Area Applications webpage. These applications were formally approved by Council on 6 December 2012.
The Spatial Planning Team have recently produced a Guide to the new Neighbourhood Planning Regulations (April 2012) opens in a new window and a brief initial summary of the National Planning Policy Framework (27 March 2012) opens in a new window a key part of the Government's reforms to the planning system.
The Prince's Foundation opens in a new window Report has also been published. This Report sets out conclusions and recommendations from the scoping workshops held by the Prince's Foundation for Building Community in Torbay, 5-8 March 2012.
Torbay Council invited the Prince’s Foundation to facilitate some further community planning workshops for the Neighbourhood Forums in Torquay, Paignton and Brixham in June 2012 and they have also carried out further work in Torbay with each Neighbourhood Forum in November and December 2012.
The outcome of these workshops will help to develop a community-led vision for each of the three Neighbourhood Forums based on local needs and aspirations – it is intended as the second step towards creating Neighbourhood Plans in Torbay.
Note: The Prince’s Foundation for Building Community is an educational charity that promotes community engagement in the planning process. The work of the Prince’s Foundation during these events was entirely funded through a grant provided by the Department for Local Government and Communities as part of the ‘Communities and Neighbourhoods in Planning Scheme’. You can find out more about this scheme and the work the Prince’s Foundation do on their website at www.princes-foundation.org opens in a new window.
Some of the Workshop Presentations from the June 2012 events are available to view or download from our Related Documents Section below. The Prince’s Foundation Reports will be available shortly.

Neighbourhood Plans - Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is a Neighbourhood Plan?.
  2. What does a Neighbourhood Plan do?
  3. Can we stop development from happening in our area?
  4. Will Neighbourhood Plans allocate land?
  5. What is the process for starting a Neighbourhood Forum?
  6. What is the timeframe?
  7. Is the Council still progressing a Core Strategy or just Neighbourhood Plans?
  8. If we have a Neighbourhood Plan does this mean that we don’t have to use the Local Plan or Core Strategy?
  9. Which carries more planning weight – a Neighbourhood Plan or the Torbay Local Plan?
  10. I’m a developer – do I have to use Neighbourhood Plans when putting in planning applications?
  11. How does a Neighbourhood Plan get adopted as planning policy
  12. How do I get involved in neighbourhood planning?
  13. How much will it cost and why has my area not received funding from central government?

1. What is a Neighbourhood Plan?

A Neighbourhood Plan is a new type of plan which will focus on very local areas, to be produced by communities with Parish and Town Councils, with the assistance of the Council. Policies included in neighbourhood plans will need to be related to the use of land in the area, or to spatial matters (i.e. aspects that affect how a place works). When adopted, they will form part of the overall development plan for Torbay and be used to consider all planning applications in that area, in the context of the Torbay Core Strategy.

2. What does a Neighbourhood Plan do?

A Neighbourhood Plan gives local people a chance to create a planning document that guides and shapes development in their local area, and to influence what facilities are provided in the area as a result.

3. Can we stop development from happening in our area?

No - a Neighbourhood Plan can guide development to be more appropriate to local context and help decide where it goes, but the government has made it clear that it is not a tool to be used to stop development.

4. Will Neighbourhood Plans allocate land?

This will depend on how the community want to progress their plan but the plan is able to allocate land if required.

5. What is the process for starting a Neighbourhood Forum?

It will be useful to ask the Spatial Planning Team to help set up a workshop where issues and ideas are gathered from local people about their area.
The community may then want to set up a Neighbourhood Forum and Steering Group.  The Forum should be made up of members of the community including local residents, business owners, (and members of the Council or Brixham Town Council for Brixham), and may include land owners or developers.  People can then volunteer to be on the steering group or to participate in other ways.  Forums may find it helpful to have the first few workshops /meetings led by the Council officers, but after this point it is expected that the local steering group members will guide discussions and make decisions about how to progress the plan.  The Strategic Planning Team will be available to provide assistance and support where appropriate.
The Forum Steering Group will manage the production of the Plan.  They will arrange community events or consultations with the wider community and will need to ensure that the plan is realistic and robust.  

6. What is the timeframe?

It is expected that Neighbourhood Plans will take approximately 2 years from start to finish.

7. Is the Council still progressing a Core Strategy or just Neighbourhood Plans?

The Council is still progressing with the Core Strategy which will span the whole of Torbay and contain overarching Strategic Policies and Development Management Polices. Neighbourhood plans are able to develop in tandem with the Core Strategy.

8. If we have a Neighbourhood Plan does this mean that we don’t have to use the Local Plan or Core Strategy?

No - the Local Plan remains part of the development plan and will continue to be used to determine planning applications until superseded by the Core Strategy. Neighbourhood Plans will form a new tier of planning at a very local level.  They need to conform to the overarching adopted Core Strategy for Torbay but will form part of the development plan for their area.

9. Which carries more planning weight – a Neighbourhood Plan or the Torbay Local Plan?

The weight (importance) that is attached to a particular policy can only be decided when considering a specific proposal. At a general level, when adopted, Neighbourhood Plans and the Local Plan or Adopted Core Strategy should complement each other. Planning decisions will be based primarily around policies in adopted Neighbourhood Plans and the Local Plan/Core Strategy.

10. I’m a developer – do I have to use Neighbourhood Plans when putting in planning applications?

Yes - planning applications will need to have regard to all relevant policy

11. How does a Neighbourhood Plan get adopted as planning policy?

To get adopted, current guidance suggests that the plan will be subject to approval by the Council, then an independent examination, and be subject to a local referendum gaining a 50 per cent level of support. Further details on this will be made available at the time.

12. How do I get involved in neighbourhood planning?

Either email or phone the relevant Neighbourhood Forum Secretary for your area, or contact the Strategic Planning Team. Please see the LDF web pages.

13. How much will it cost and why has my area not received funding from central government?

The government has a rolling programme of funding for key neighbourhood initiatives. The Council made a successful bid for £20,000 of funding in partnership with Brixham Town Council (which was the most progressed at that time) in 2010/11.The Council submitted subsequent bids for the Torquay and Paignton Neighbourhood Forums and has been successful the fifth wave frontrunners opens in a new window announced in March 2012.  However, the cost of delivering Neighbourhood Plans is likely to exceed the funding from Government and Neighbourhood Forums may wish to establish other funding initiatives in partnership with the Council, the Private sector and other agencies.

Related Documents

All documents open in a new window. Need more help with documents? View the Document Help page.



Contact