Introduction

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1.1 Aims of the book

The book is aimed at citizens and also professionals who want to learn more about how Neighbourhood Planning operates and how to navigate the process more effectively. Therefore in addition to citizen-planners, this book should be useful for professional planners in local authorities and those working as consultants, who are often central to what are inevitably 'co-produced' Neighbourhood Plans. We use the term co-production to refer to the way in which Neighbourhood Plans are created, with partners working collaboratively to successfully reach the completion of the Plan and hopefully to see Plans being implemented. At its best, this process involves sharing knowledge and capacity to produce Plans that have a range of beneficial impacts on neighbourhoods.

Thus the book is written primarily for those interested in or already involved in Neighbourhood Planning in England, as formally enabled by the Localism Act (2011), the Neighbourhood Planning Act (2017) and the associated Neighbourhood Planning regulations. Hence when we refer to 'Neighbourhood Plans' the focus is on Neighbourhood Development Plans (NDPs). If we are making reference to something other than this policy vehicle then it is made explicit in the text.

We have tried to write this book in such a way that it is accessible; however, it is not jargon-free. There are a number of technical terms used in planning that citizen-planners will need to be aware of. Where technical language is unavoidable we have sought to explain the terms involved in order to develop awareness and ensure a working knowledge of the wider operating environment of Neighbourhood Planning. A Glossary is included at the back of the book to explain such jargon and frequently used terms. We have also provided some critical insight for those who wish to consider the research and theory that underpins the practice and issues tackled here (see Chapter 9, Section 2). We have also sought to break down many of the elements so that lists of key points are deployed to aid reference. On occasion we highlight in bold some of the critical statements that citizen-planners really need to absorb.

We feel it is necessary to point out that this book is not a technical guide about how to write a Neighbourhood Plan as there are other sources that provide such guidance (for example, Locality's widely read Neighbourhood Planning Roadmap Guide). Instead we provide the information to ensure that communities can navigate and embrace the ethos, spirit and possibilities of Neighbourhood Planning. This involves forming a realistic appraisal of the challenges involved. To achieve this balance we have developed three core themes that recur in the chapters that follow. These are:

• Neighbourhood Planning is negotiative: it should feature 'community-led negotiation' about the content and orientation of Neighbourhood Plans as well as ongoing relationships with other interested parties;

• Neighbourhood Planning requires integration: it must mediate between local and strategic concerns, local and expert knowledge, and sometimes the opposing forces of communities and the state – in other words, it is part of a wider system;

• Neighbourhood Planning is a space of possibility: it can be used to deliver community aspirations, added-value (for the planning system) and innovation, and can be the basis for further public participation, possibly providing a challenge to orthodox planning.

This book aims to explain Neighbourhood Planning in practice, drawing on experience of the planning system morewidely and specifically on our experience of Neighbourhood Planning in England over the past eight years and the inherent challenges involved.

Thus while the book develops a detailed explanation of Neighbourhood Planning, we also feel that a broader understanding about how Neighbourhood Planning is shaped by higher-level plans and the involvement of other stakeholders is essential learning for citizen-planners and we have sought to assist the reader in developing such contextual awareness (Chapters 2 and 3). Recent experience indicates that citizen-planners who conceive of Neighbourhood Planning as an exclusively inward-looking exercise, instead of one that acts to bridge local and strategic concerns, will miss progressive opportunities and also often fail to secure the aims they seek. Therefore if communities avoid a more outward-looking sensibility, they are likely to run into problems and be left with a weaker Plan. As such, Neighbourhood Plans cannot be produced without developing an awareness of the roles and possibilities of partnering with others.

This echoes the aims of the book, which can be summarised as seeking to:

• Highlight the key issues involved in progressing a Neighbourhood Plan;

• Provide an overview of the wider planning processes that impact on Plan production;

• Explain the roles, relations and skills needed with others in Neighbourhood Planning;

• Establish ways of overcoming the challenges typically involved in Neighbourhood Planning;

• Provide information, resources and examples that will help set up readers on their journey to become 'critical' citizen planners.

It is important to recognise the difficulties involved when participating in planning and this book is designed to enable a critical mindset that will help citizen-planners anticipate challenges and, if necessary, adjust their outlooks accordingly. Therefore, we want to provide an appreciation of the likely challenges involved in order to provide citizen-planners with every chance of securing their aims and improving their local neighbourhoods. Experience has shown us that citizen-planners can often utilise the spaces of governance that are opened up by Neighbourhood Planning and use the new powers under the banner of localism, to secure at least some of their communities' desires.

It is important to stress that the book has been written during a period of uncertainty regarding the full impact of Brexit on some aspects of policy and regulatory requirements, particularly that which is conditional on EU regulations. Hence all such regulations we mention are inevitably subject to change. In reality this backdrop of conditionality or contingency is a fact of life in planning and there are plenty of other factors of change to be aware of, which are highlighted here.

Ultimately the process of completing a Neighbourhood Plan comes down to negotiating with other stakeholders such as local government, local landowners and housing developers. It is important to establish what the...