Purpose

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

6.           
The application from Haslingfield 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 Haslingfield 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
Haslingfield Parish Council is valid and therefore that the parish
of Haslingfield 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 Haslingfield
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
Haslingfield 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 Haslingfield can be added to the list of
Neighbourhood Areas designated within the district.