Decentralisation minister, Greg Clark, will hand a further 40 areas £20,000 each to develop a ‘neighbourhood plan’, designed to boost local economic growth.
Mr Clark announced on 2 June the second wave of ‘front-runner’ communities which will trial neighbourhood planning – ministers’ blueprint for giving local people a voice in deciding how their area should look and develop. Around 50 areas – led by their local authorities – are already trialling the initiative.
Under the plan, residents will have a say in the types of development that receive automatic planning permission through a neighbourhood development order (NDO). If approved by a local referendum, a council will be compelled to adopt a neighbourhood plan, providing it is in line with local growth ambitions.
The 40 second-wave neighbourhood planning areas include parts of Birmingham, Bristol, Gateshead, west London, Milton Keynes and West Dorset. Mr Clark said: ‘By giving local people a greater say and incentives to benefit from growth, communities will start to welcome development rather than resist it.’
