Further Useful Information
There are also number of organisations that can give advice to communities considering carrying out a neighbourhood plan. Please see a selection of these below (there are others too):
Locality (Main support for neighbourhood plan groups and grant funding)
Locality's Supporting Communities and Neighbourhoods in Planning Programme helps local groups develop neighbourhood plans, provide support, guidance and funding.
Historic England
Rural Services Network – Sparse
Rural Services Network provides a selection of key datasets from the Census 2011 and ASHE as well as providing analysis that may be useful for communities, enabling them to compare themselves against other rural authorities to provide some context. The information is available by parish, which enables community groups to view information at a relatively local level.
Visit Rural Services Network – neighbourhood planning
RTPI Planning Aid
Planning Aid England (PAE) helps communities through the key stages of the Neighbourhood Planning process under the Supporting Communities in Neighbourhood Planning 2013-15 initiative. PAE works directly with neighbourhood planning groups to provide support, advice and professional input to the plans being prepared by those communities.
Visit RTPI – neighbourhood planning
Prince's Foundation
The Prince's Foundation can provide hands-on help with Neighbourhood Planning, including:
- Community outreach and engagement
- Facilitating / running collaborative planning and decision making events
- Drafting of Neighbourhood Plans
- Carrying out sustainability appraisals where requested by local authorities
- Facilitating joint working between neighbourhood bodies, their local planning authorities and other key stakeholders (including developers and landowners)
- Providing extra project management capacity
- Demonstrating compliance with NPPF and local plans / core strategies
Visit Prince's Foundation – neighbourhood planning
ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England)
ACRE is the national umbrella body of the Rural Community Action Network (RCAN), which operates at national, regional and local level in support of rural communities across the country.
A national toolkit produced by ACRE, is used by RCAN practitioners to guide community groups through the LEAD process. Nine steps are outlined, each providing practical advice and resources that help to make the production of any plan a manageable endeavour.
Visit the ACRE website for more information.
Rural Kent Community Council
Works with local communities to plan for their future, by supporting parish councils and community groups in the production of Community Led Plans.
