Latest news (updated 17 September 2024)
- Soham and Barway Neighbourhood Plan heading to a referendum on 10 October 2024. An Examiner has recommended that the plan should proceed to a local referendum. For full details please visit the dedicated Soham and Barway Neighbourhood Plan page.
- Cheveley Neighbourhood Plan passes referendum on 12 September 2024. Cheveley Neighbourhood Plan now has full weight for planning decision taking, and will be formally made part of the development plan on 17 October 2024. For full details please see the dedicated Cheveley Neighbourhood Plan page.
Neighbourhood Planning in East Cambridgeshire
Neighbourhood planning allows parish councils and their communities to decide the future of the places where they live, by having the option to create:
- Neighbourhood Development Plans
- Neighbourhood Development Orders (NDO)
- Community Right to Build Order (CRtBO)
These plans and orders can be used to add more detail to the policies in the council’s Local Plan, or cover other aspects appropriate to the aspirations of the community living in the area.
Neighbourhood Plans are the most popular option prepared by parish councils. Once consulted upon, finalised and deemed to meet certain regulations, they are put to a local referendum of the community. If that referendum is successful, they are then formally ‘made’ part of the Development Plan for East Cambridgeshire and are used by the district council to determine planning applications.
Advice and guidance
East Cambridgeshire District Council is here to help parish councils. The council's Statement of Community Involvement sets out the steps required, and how the council will assist.
For more information, the charity Locality (external link) has produced useful guidance and toolkits, and details how to apply for government funding to help with the costs of Neighbourhood Planning.
Progress so far
Nine Neighbourhood Plans have been formally 'made' by East Cambridgeshire District Council covering eight separate parishes, whilst fifteen parishes are designated Neighbourhood Areas as shown on the Map of Designated Neighbourhood Areas (January 2023) (PDF, 1.62MB).
The following table provides a summary of each neighbourhood planning project in the district.
| Qualifying body | Date area designated | Map of neighbourhood area | Current stage | Date plan formally 'made' |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sutton Parish Council | 08 Jan 2015; amended 27 May 2021 | Sutton Neighbourhood Area Map (PDF, 2.82MB) | Plan made: see Sutton Neighbourhood Plan (Sutton had its first plan made in 2019, but this has been replaced by a new made plan in 2024) | 25 July 2024 |
| Bottisham Parish Council | 12 Feb 2016 | Bottisham Neighbourhood Area Map (PDF, 2.28MB) | Early stages. Please contact the parish council for details. | |
| Witchford Parish Council | 26 Aug 2016; amended 06 Feb 2019 | Witchford Neighbourhood Area Map (PDF, 2.34MB) | Plan made: see Witchford Neighbourhood Plan | 21 May 2020 |
| Fordham Parish Council | 21 Dec 2017 | Fordham Neighbourhood Area Map (PDF, 2.47MB) | Plan made: see Fordham Neighbourhood Plan | 18 Dec 2018 |
| Cheveley Parish Council | 10 Dec 2018 | Cheveley Neighbourhood Area Map (PDF, 4.32MB) | Referendum due September 2024. See: Cheveley Neighbourhood Plan | |
| Swaffham Bulbeck Parish Council | 07 Jan 2019 | Swaffham Bulbeck Neighbourhood Area Map (PDF, 7.62MB) | Plan made: see Swaffham Bulbeck Neighbourhood Plan | 21 February 2023 |
| Reach Parish Council | 18 Feb 2019 | Plan made: see Reach Neighbourhood Plan | 20 February 2024 | |
| Isleham Parish Council | 21 Feb 2019 | Isleham Neighbourhood Area Map (PDF, 2.37MB) | Plan made: see Isleham Neighbourhood Plan | 19 May 2022 |
| Soham Parish Council | 12 Jun 2019 | Soham Neighbourhood Area Map (PDF, 1.49MB) | Referendum due October 2024. See Soham and Barway Neighbourhood Plan page | |
| Haddenham Parish Council | 06 Aug 2019; amended 10 June 2021 | Haddenham Neighbourhood Area Map (PDF, 1.72MB) | Plan made: see Haddenham and Aldreth Neighbourhood Plan | 20 October 2022 |
| Mepal Parish Council | 28 February 2022 | Mepal Neighbourhood Area Map (PDF, 2.03MB) | Plan made: see Mepal Neighbourhood Plan | 25 July 2024 |
| Littleport Parish Council | 3 August 2022 | Littleport Neighbourhood Area Map (PDF, 2.14MB) | Early stages. Please contact the parish council for details. | |
| Witcham Parish Council | 9 January 2023 | Witcham Neighbourhood Area Map (PDF, 1.62MB) | Early stages. Please contact the parish council for details. | |
| Chippenham Parish Council | 15 January 2024 | Chippenham Neighbourhood Area Map (PDF, 184KB) | Early stages. Please contact the parish council for details. |
Contact us
If you have any questions or require accessible documents, please contact the Strategic Planning team:
Tel: 01353 665555
Email: planningpolicy@eastcambs.gov.uk
Or write to: Strategic Planning, East Cambridgeshire District Council, The Grange, Nutholt Lane, Ely, Cambridgeshire, CB7 4EE.
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