The Neighbourhood Planning Network was set up to help groups exchange information, use each other’s experiences to help their communities, and to engage together with Bristol City Council to improve community involvement in planning decisions.
Pre Application and Planning Application stage:
Groups work together when development proposals affect more than one community, and should ensure that they include each other in pre application community involvement discussions and meetings to allow all affected communities the same opportunities for influencing the design.
It is important to avoid a situation where different groups or communities put forward conflicting viewpoints at separate meetings which can allow developers to pick and choose which to follow.
Groups can also work together by supporting each other’s planning application comments.
Neighbourhood Plans:
Groups may also work together to help each other work up ‘community plans’ and ‘neighbourhood plans’ for an area they both have an interest in. Groups may join together to form a Neighbourhood Development Forum to draw up Neighbourhood Development Plans.
Single Issue groups:
Single issue groups such as Avon Wildlife Trust, Bristol Tree Forum, Bristol Physical Access Chain, can use their specialist knowledge to help other local groups with pre application and planning application responses and with their neighbourhood plans of all types.