Purpose

Little Bromley Parish Council has submitted an
application to designate the entire parish as a Neighbourhood Plan
Area.
Under Regulation 5A, where a parish council submits an application
for an area that consists of the whole of the parish
council’s area, the local planning authority must exercise
their powers to designate the specific area as a neighbourhood plan
area.
The designation enables the Parish Council to begin preparing a
Neighbourhood Plan, which, once made, will form part of the
statutory Development Plan and carry full weight in planning
decisions. This supports the principles of localism and community
empowerment, allowing residents to influence the future development
of their area.

Content

To designate the whole of Little Bromley
Parish as a Neighbourhood Area in accordance with Regulation 5A of
the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (as
amended).

Alternative options considered

Option 1 – Designate the Neighbourhood
Area
Designate the whole of Little Bromley Parish as a Neighbourhood
Area in accordance with Regulation 5A of the Neighbourhood Planning
(General) Regulations 2012 (as amended). The regulations require
the local planning authority to approve such applications when
submitted by a parish council and covering the entire parish
area.
Option 2 – Do Not Designate the Neighbourhood Area
Decline the application to designate the Neighbourhood Area. This
would be contrary to Regulation 5A of the Neighbourhood Planning
(General) Regulations 2012 (as amended), which requires the local
planning authority to designate the whole area when a parish
council applies for the entire parish. The application from Little
Bromley Parish Council meets all statutory requirements, and there
are no legal or procedural grounds to justify refusal. Proceeding
with this option could expose the Council to legal challenge and
reputational risk.