The growing interest in the preparation of Neighbourhood Development Plans (neighbourhood plans) is clear for all to see. From the frontrunners scheme in 2011 to September 2016 around 2,000 communities have shown interest and taken steps to designate their area and start to prepare plans, and the number of communities interested keeps growing. […]

Having been involved in supporting and facilitating community led development over a number of years, I am still shocked by the animosity, contention and confrontation that often exists around planning decisions in many of our communities and how extremely detrimental this is. In this context, it is important to explore what opportunities neighbourhood planning offers communities and the potential of true engagement in community-led policy development. […]