Purpose

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

 

6.           
The application from Heydon 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 Heydon 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
Heydon Parish Council is valid and therefore that the parish of
Heydon 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 the Heydon
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.

Content

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
Heydon 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 Heydon can be added to
the list of Neighbourhood Areas designated within the
district.