FAQs
What is the neighbourhood planning process?
Brought in under the Localism Act 2011, the neighbourhood planning regime allows communities to play a stronger role in shaping the areas where they live and work by developing a Neighbourhood Plan for their area, containing a local vision, objectives and planning policies. The Neighbourhood Plan must support the delivery of the strategic policies of the Development Plan in force (e.g. the Bournemouth Core Strategy 2012). Within this context, the specific topics in the plan are for the local community to decide. When a neighbourhood plan is approved by the council, it becomes part of the statutory Development Plan and is used to make decisions on planning applications.
What is a designated forum?
This is an organisation empowered to lead on the preparation of a Neighbourhood Plan for their area with the express purpose of promoting or improving the social, economic and environmental wellbeing of an area. A neighbourhood forum has legal status for five years to develop a Neighbourhood Plan within a designated area. Once approved by the council, no other organisation may be designated to exercise neighbourhood planning powers for that area, until the designation expires or is withdrawn.
What is a designated area?
A community can determine what area is the most suitable to plan for. However, in deciding the application for area designation, the Local Planning Authority (LPA) can consider a range of factors including whether the area is appropriate to be designated. Consultation feedback is an important factor in making this decision.
Why is the council running two public consultations by two proposed neighbourhood forums where the areas overlap?
On 11 November 2024, the proposed East Cliff Neighbourhood Forum and Area submitted its application for designation to the Local Planning Authority (LPA) before a decision had been made by the Council on a current proposal by the East Cliff & Springbourne Neighbourhood Forum and Area consultation, which closed on 7 October 2024. More details on this consultation can be found here.
The East Cliff & Springbourne forum revised its application and resubmitted on 26 January 2025. Both applications comply with relevant statutory requirements and the LPA is obliged to publish these for consultation and invite representations in accordance with the Regulations.