Bengeo Neighbourhood Area Plan

Since April 2012 local communities have been able to produce Neighbourhood Plans for their local area, putting in place planning policies for the future development and growth of the neighbourhood. The plan can for instance control where new homes, shops and offices should be built, what those buildings should look like, and what infrastructure should be provided. All the policies in a Neighbourhood Plan must be consistent with the Local Plan (in our case, the District Plan by East Herts District Council). The plan can shape development but it cannot prevent development which is part of the Local Plan.

That having been said, the plan can’t create planning policies in areas that are already under the control of a higher local authority (e.g. transport policy is controlled by the County Council), BUT the output from consultations may produce an action plan that will feed into the planning process of the relevant authority.

For further information on Neighbourhood Planning in general, see the guide published by Locality at http://locality.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Quick-Guide.pdf

There are five main stages of setting up a Neighbourhood Plan process:

1. agreeing a designated area for the plan
2. developing a vision and objectives for the plan
3. preparing and creating the plan in consultation with residents and all other interested parties (e.g. businesses, landowners, organisations)
4. an independent examination to check the plan meets the legislative requirements
5. a referendum – if the plan gets a majority of those voting, it will be adopted and has statutory force.

Useful Links

Neighbourhood Plans Roadmap Guide + Quick Guide to Neighbourhood Plans (www.locality.org.uk)

Writing Planning Policies by Tony Burton

Neighbourhood planning guidance on government planning portal

National Planning Policy Framework

Neighbourhood Planning Guidance from East Herts Council

The District Plan sets out the planning framework for East Herts for the period of 2011-2033 and will deliver sustainable development. The plan will aim to provide new homes, new jobs, new facilities and infrastructure across the District. It also contains Development Management policies that will be used to determine planning applications.

Chapter Seven of the plan discusses Hertford, including housing development in areas designated HERT1, HERT2 (Mead Land). HERT3 (West of Hertford) , HERT4 (Bengeo) an HERT5 (Mangrove Road).

Click here to view or download Chapter Seven of the East Herts District Plan

The plan is currently a draft. East Herts Council has submitted its District Plan to the Secretary of State for approval.