Decision details

Adoption of a Neighbourhood Planning Protocol for Bath & North East Somerset following amendments arising from the public consultation on the draft protocol

(1) To ADOPT the My Neighbourhood: A Neighbourhood Planning Protocol for B&NES as the Council’s policy on Neighbourhood Planning and community engagement in planning superseding the existing Statement of Community Involvement for Planning (2007); and

(2) To DELEGATE responsibility to the Divisional Director (Planning & Transport), in conjunction with the Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing, to make final graphic and minor textual amendments prior to publication of the Neighbourhood Planning Protocol.

The Council needs to be ready to implement the new duties in line with the Localism Act 2011 and Neighbourhood Planning Regulations 2012.

The Council is not obliged to prepare a Neighbourhood Planning Protocol and instead can respond to request on an ad hoc, piecemeal basis. This option has been rejected because this would lead to considerable confusion and lack of clarity for local communities and lack of co-ordination within the Council.