With interest in Neighbourhood Planning growing MADE is launching a new Network to help support those interested in, or worried by, this new development.  The Neighbourhood Planning Network will bring together planners, community activists, advisors and consultants.  The Network will be targeted at the West Midlands but open to people from beyond the region.  We hope that it will enable everyone to learn from the experience of the ‘Front Runners’, to exchange information, dispel myths and co-ordinate support.

The first meeting of the network will take place at MADE on 29th September at 10.00am .  See our events section for details and to book your place.

Neighbourhood Planning, the right for communities to develop their own spatial plans, is part of the Localism Bill which is currently going through the House of Lords on its way to becoming law next year.  The MADE area had two Front Runners, communities which are undertaking a trial of neighbourhood planning ahead of the legislation, in the first round. These are Balsall Heath in Birmingham and Much Wenlock in Shropshire.  They have been joined In the second wave by Oswestry (Shropshire), Lydbury (Shropshire), Waters Upton (Telford), Heath Town (Wolverhampton) and Tettenhall (Wolverhampton).  In the third wave there is Handsworth and Lozells (Birmingham), Leominster (Herefordshire), Golden Valley (Herefordshire), Kinnerley (Shropshire), Underdale, Monkmoor and Abbey (Shropshire), Ercall Magna (Telford), Madeley (Telford) and Bilston Corridor (Wolverhampton).

There is an opportunity for local authorities to apply for one or more of their communities to be included in the next round of Front Runners with a deadline of November 4^th.  Details here.

Aside from the Frontrunners we are aware of a number of other communities around the West Midlands who are looking at producing neighbourhood plans and CABE has submitted bids to Design Council CABE to help support our work with three of them.

Meanwhile our friends at Slider Studio have now completed their feasibility study into how the web can enable neighbourhood planning. Key findings summarising the current attitudes of the various participatory groups toward Neighbourhood Planning, as well as a complete list of the tools collected can be found here in their Post Workshop Analysis Report:

The document is also available for public commenting in the YouCanPlan StickyRoom along with videos, photographs and presentations from the workshops: