Two new funds launched on Saturday by the Government to support greater uptake of neighbourhood planning have been welcomed by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).
A £2.1m bidding fund will offer direct support to Local Planning Authorities in underrepresented areas that wish to increase the number of active neighbourhood planning groups in their communities.
A fund of £330k has also been launched to pilot a simpler approach to neighbourhood planning with 10 Local Planning Authorities.
It is hoped that the funds will help communities where the level of neighbourhood planning activity currently taking place is very low to have a greater say in how their local area is developed.
RTPI Chief Executive Victoria Hills said:
“We welcome this extra funding from the government which should go some way to helping empower communities to decide where they want new homes, shops and offices to be built, what those buildings should look like and what infrastructure should be provided.
“In our response to the Planning White Paper, we stressed the importance of neighbourhood planning in a reformed planning system, pointing out that it can help tailor development to local needs, increase communities’ knowledge of the planning system and, in some cases, improve attitudes towards development.
“There is also considerable, largely untapped, potential for Neighbourhood Plans to deliver innovative, local-level solutions to complex challenges, including climate change.
“It is particularly encouraging to see that the government is focusing its attention in this announcement on under-represented areas – it is a startling fact that only 5% of completed neighbourhood plans are in urban areas and only 6.7% of neighbourhood planning areas are in the most deprived parts of the country.
“We hope that the launch of these funds is evidence that the government understands the positive contribution that neighbourhood planning can make in all areas of the country and look forward to further funding becoming available in the future to build on this first step.”
>> For more details about the funds and how to apply, visit gov.uk