Villagers living close to Heathrow Airport have joined forces to have a much bigger say in their future.
Last week about 20 people gathered in Harmondsworth village hall to take the first step towards setting up a Neighbourhood Plan.
If it is a success the plan would allow people living in a defined area across the villages of Harmondsworth, Sipson and Harlington to determine how the area is developed, which projects fit with the needs of the community and would provide a degree of protection for the open land that fringes the airport’s northern boundary.
Local people will get to vote on it first but it would be about a two-year slog before anything comes to fruition.
What is a Neighbourhood Plan?
A Neighbourhood Plan establishes general planning policies for the development and use of land in a neighbourhood, for example where new homes and offices should be built and what they should look like.
The plan can be detailed or general, depending what local people want.
Who gets the last word?
The plans must still meet the needs of the wider area. In most cases Neighbourhood Plans will have to take into account the local council’s assessment of housing and other development needs in the area.
Local councils will continue to produce development plans that will set the strategic context within which Neighbourhood Plans will sit.
Neighbourhood Plans or orders do not take effect unless there is a majority of support in a referendum of the neighbourhood.
They also have to meet a number of conditions before they can be put to the referendum and legally come into force, such as national planning policy.
What happens next?
Heathrow Villages Forum says it will be carrying out extensive consultation and researching the issues and options for each of the three villages, as well as preparing a good evidence base. It will get help from a nationally recognised planning expert to help shape a plan that 'reflects the complex relationship between the very local concerns of the village and national infrastructure policy'.
Minister for Civil Society, and MP for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner, Nick Hurd (Con), whose brief includes 'localism', told the Gazette: "I think it is right that local people should have more influence over the planning decisions that shape their area. So, I welcome these powers and hope the forum is successfull in getting people involved".
Sources: www.gov.uk. www.planningportal.gov.uk
