Did you know? The National Planning Policy was updated...
In December 2023, the National Planning Policy was updated. One of the key changes was to strengthen the role of up to date Neighbourhood Plans, giving the councils more powers to resist unacceptable development that is not in accordance with the Plan.
This additional protection applies to any Neighbourhood Plan formally adopted (or ‘made’) within the past five years and that allocates sites for housing. Our communities put a huge amount of work into developing Plans to protect what makes their own areas special and help new development happen in the right places, so this change in policy is welcomed.
We are hopeful that this new approach will be supported by Planning Inspectors when making decisions on planning appeals.