Decision details

1.            The purpose of this decision is to agree on the proposed designation of the parish of Bourn as a Neighbourhood Area. (See Appendix A – the application submitted by Bourn Parish Council including a map).

Background

2.            A Neighbourhood Area must be designated before a Parish Council can prepare a Neighbourhood Plan. There is national legislation and regulations guiding how this designation should be carried out.

3.            The national legislation and regulations state thata local planning authority must designate a neighbourhood area if it receives a valid application and some or all of the area has not yet been designated (see section 61G(5) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 Act as applied to Neighbourhood Plans by section 38A of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004). Where a Parish Council has applied for the whole of their parish to be designated the local planning authority must designate all of the area applied for.

4.            A valid neighbourhood area application is one where a ‘relevant body’ has submitted an application to the local planning authority that must include:

·         a map which identifies the area to which the area application relates,

·         a statement explaining why this area is considered appropriate to be designated as a neighbourhood area, and

·         a statement that the organisation or body making the area application is a relevant body for the purposes of section 61G of the 1990 Act.

5.            In South Cambridgeshire the relevant body is a Parish Council.

The application from Bourn Parish Council

6.            The application from Bourn Parish Council is for the whole of their parish to be designated as a neighbourhood area. None of this area has been previously designated for neighbourhood planning purposes and the application includes all the information required.

Consideration by South Cambridgeshire District Council

7.            South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC) is supportive of Bourn Parish Council preparing a Neighbourhood Plan for its parish and is keen for the two councils to work together in considering the future development of the area.

8.            SCDC considers that the application submitted by Bourn Parish Council is valid and therefore that the parish of Bourn should be designated as a neighbourhood area.

Local Development Scheme

9.            The Local Development Scheme (LDS) sets out the planning documents that SCDC and Cambridge City Council proposes to prepare. A section in the LDS lists the neighbourhood areas designated within the Greater Cambridge area. As Bourn Neighbourhood Area is being recommended for designation it is proposed that an amendment be made to the section of the LDS when it is next reviewed.

It is recommended that the Joint Director for Planning and Economic Development, having consulted with the Planning Lead Member, approves:

a)            The designation of a Neighbourhood Area for Bourn as proposed by the Parish Council.

b)            An amendment to be made to the section about neighbourhood areas within the Local Development Scheme when it is next reviewed so that Bourn  can be added to the list of Neighbourhood Areas designated within the district.

The national legislation, regulations and planning guidance for neighbourhood plans state thata local planning authority must designate a neighbourhood area if it receives a valid application from the relevant qualifying body. Where a Parish Council has applied for the whole of their parish to be designated the local planning authority must designate all of the area applied for.

Bourn Parish Council has made a valid application to designate its whole parish. There is therefore no other option but to approve the designation of the Bourn Neighbourhood Area.

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