New incentives for neighbourhood planning

Planning Minister Nick Boles has announced that communities which agree a neighbourhood plan will be entitled to retain 25% of the proceeds of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). Communities that take new housing but do not have a neighbourhood plan will be entitled to retain a smaller share of the CIL.

John Hoad, Head of Planning at the Campaign to Protect Rural England said: "We welcome this new power for local councils and the link to sensible planning for growth through a neighbourhood plan. Our experience of working on neighbourhood plans with the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) suggests that they have great potential to steer appropriate new development to the best locations, especially in small rural communities.

"This new incentive must not, however, be used to “buy off” legitimate objections to new development. CIL is meant to be a mechanism for funding essential infrastructure. It should not be seen as a way of persuading communities to agree contentious developments.’"

He concluded: "Planning is all about making sometimes difficult decisions about long term land use, and should not be unduly influenced by short term financial incentives. Wider environmental impacts and long term infrastructure needs – not just effects on private property or a neighbourhood's amenity - are often critical considerations. For example, new development can increase the risk of flooding, place extra strain on public transport and damage beautiful landscapes. We all have a stake in decisions about how we use our finite land resource.’"