Leighton Linslade Neighbourhood Plan

Flowers at the market in the town centre

INTRODUCTION

What is the Leighton-Linslade Neighbourhood Plan?

In September 2023, the Leighton-Linslade Town Council decided to work with a consultant to undertake scoping work on the creation of a Neighbourhood Plan.  Work was undertaken over several months and after carefully considering the outputs of the scoping work, including feedback from local residents, the Council agreed at an extraordinary meeting on 30 May 2024 to go ahead with developing a Plan. 

The purpose of the Neighbourhood Plan is to set out a series of planning policies that will be used to determine planning applications in the area in the period to 2042. The Plan will form part of the development plan for the parish, alongside the policies of the adopted Central Bedfordshire Local Plan 2015 – 2035 adopted in July 2021. The Local Plan will eventually be replaced by an updated Local Plan, which is currently due to be adopted at the end of 2028.

Neighbourhood Plans provide local communities with the chance to manage the quality of development of their areas. Once approved at a referendum, the Plan becomes part of the Council’s statutory development plan and will carry significant weight in how planning applications are decided in the neighbourhood area. Plans must therefore contain only land use planning policies that can be used for this purpose. This often means that important issues of interest to the local community cannot be addressed in a Plan if they are not directly related to planning. Although there is scope for the local community to decide on its planning policies, Neighbourhood Plans must meet all relevant basic conditions. More information about these can be found below.

What area will the plan cover?

The Neighbourhood Plan area was designated by the local planning authority, Central Bedfordshire Council on the 26th June 2024. The area reflects the administrative boundary of Leighton Linslade Town Council.

How is the plan being prepared?

A good Neighbourhood Plan should be a community project. So, once the Leighton-Linslade Neighbourhood Plan project was given the go-ahead, the Town Council and Steering Committee asked for members of the public to put themselves forward as volunteers. Nearly 40 volunteers have joined the team. Seven members of the public joined the seven original town councillor members of the Steering Committee, to form a new Steering Group. Other volunteers have joined one of five Task Teams – Design, Built Environment, Community Assets, Transport and Communications.

The Task Teams have been gathering evidence and talking with experts and interested groups and individuals to create specific policy ideas. The Communications Task Team is working to ensure that residents are kept informed of progress, and that you will have the opportunity to help shape the plan through public engagement and formal consultation periods.

Some participants have relevant experience (having worked in planning or town design) or offer knowledge about key areas (such as transport, historic buildings or our town’s green and blue infrastructure). All members of the team are keen to see a plan that reflects the views of residents.

More information about how the Town Council is preparing the plan can be found on their website.

How is the Plan prepared?

The plan is being prepared in accordance with the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations of 2012 (as amended). 

The Leighton Linslade Neighbourhood Plan has to comply with a number of basic conditions.

The Basic Conditions

Fig. 1 Basic Conditions
  1. Does the plan have regard for national planning policy?
  2. Is the plan in general conformity with strategic planning policy?
  3. Does the plan promote the principles of sustainable development?
  4. Has the process of making the plan met the requirements of environmental law?
  5. Does the plan impact on any listed building of buildings of special interest?
  6. Does the plan impact on a conservation area?
  7. Has the plan met the prescribed conditions?

In addition, the Town Council will need to demonstrate to an independent examiner that it has successfully engaged with the local community and stakeholders in preparing the Plan. If the examiner is satisfied that it has and considers the Plan meets the above conditions, then the Plan will go to a referendum of the local electorate. If a simple majority (over 50%) of the turnout votes in favour of the Plan, then it becomes adopted as formal planning policy for the area.

Strategic Environmental Assessment & The Habitats Regulations

Central Bedfordshire Council is required to issue a screening opinion on the requirement for a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) in accordance with the Environmental Assessment of Plans & Programmes Regulations 2004 (as amended). An SEA is currently underway. The Screening Opinion has determined that an SEA is required to accompany the Leighton-Linslade Neighbourhood Plan and work on this is now underway, following the submission of an application to Locality for a government funded technical support package. 

The screening opinion also confirmed that a Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) is required in accordance with the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010 (as amended). A technical support package funded by the government has also been secured for the production of this assessment.

Informal Engagement

Neighbourhood Plan Process and Timeline: Phase 1: early informed engagement with the community - identified key themes. Phase 2: got started - created a steering group, designated a plan area, applied for funding. Phase 3: Gathering locally available information, commissioning technical studies, identifying and filling gaps in evidence. Phase 4: Tasks team will start to draft policies and proposals to include in the Neighbourhood Plan. Phase 5: Community engagement - opportunity for residents to comment on draft policies to help refine them. Phase 6: LLTC to approve the draft plan. Formal 6 week consultation on draft plan, known as regulation 14 consultation. Phase 7: Review consultation and revise plan as needed. LLTC to approve final plan for submission to CBC known as regulation 15. Phase 8: CBC will publicise the plan for a 6 week period known as regulation 16. Phase 9: Independent examination of the Neighbourhood Plan and any representation received during regulation 16. Phase 10: if the examiner finds the plan satisfactory, CBC will arrange for a referendum to take place. Phase 11: if more than 50% of those voting in the referendum vote yes, then the plan is made and has statutory weight in local planning law.
Fig 2. Timeline. The project is currently at Phase 5.

A period of informal engagement on the draft policy intents will be undertaken with the community in March and April 2025. Feedback will also be sought to the draft Town Centre Masterplan and Land South of High Street Masterplan. Once this informal stage of engagement is complete, the Steering Group will review the comments made and work with its appointed consultants, ONH Planning For Good, to shape and refine the policies and write the policy wording.

The Steering Group will then prepare for a formal 6-week consultation of the draft plan in October, when the community and all statutory consultees will have the opportunity to comment on the proposals. This is called a Regulation 14 Consultation and will be accompanied by the final version of the Masterplanning work and the draft SEA. 

Following the completion of this stage, the Steering Group will assess where any amendments are required and prepare a final submission version of the Plan. A consultation statement will also be published to detail the quantity, quality and effectiveness of the consultation to date as well as a Basic Conditions Statement to confirm the Neighbourhood Plan is consistent with Local and National Planning Policy. This will be submitted to Central Bedfordshire Council for one further period of consultation (called a Regulation 16 consultation) and to arrange for its examination by an independent examiner and subsequent referendum, if the examiner and Central Bedfordshire Council are satisfied that the draft plan meets the basic conditions.