Communities have an important role in the planning process to ensure that the right kind of development meets local needs and helps to achieve sustainable development.  Communities can help set out their futures and work in partnership with planning...
Countryside Agency Archive

Breadcrumbs

Positive planning with communities

Community planning event
Rural communities and parish councils have an important role in the planning process to ensure that the right kind of development meets local needs and helps to achieve sustainable development. Communities can help set out their futures and work in partnership with planning policy makers through new community planning processes and through community based ‘plans’.

There are real opportunities for rural communities and local planning authorities to work more closely together in defining visions, preparing strategies and implementing planning policies that are tailored for different parts of our countryside.  

Rural Planning for Real
We supported the Neighbourhood Initiatives Foundation to help develop a rural version of Planning for Real.  Planning for Real is a well established hands on and inclusive participatory technique for communities.  It was originally designed for urban areas.  The rural version has been developed to work in the context of rural geography, the nature of rural communities and decision-making processes.  Three pilot projects tested a rural version in 2004. Click here for more details.  (50kb pdf)

Market Town Healthchecks and planning 
Healthchecks and Market Town partnerships who prepare them have a significant contribution to make to strategic and local planning.   Their local knowledge, evidence base and vision should be better integrated with the work of local planning authorities.  

Parish Planning and Parish Plans
The Government Rural White Paper made clear that Parish Plans, prepared by communities, should have a clear role in the planning system.