Designated Neighbourhood Areas

There are eleven designated neighbourhood areas in the borough of Ashford. Four parishes have made (adopted) neighbourhood plans. The other seven parishes which have designated neighbourhood area status have plans at various stages of preparation.

Made Neighbourhood Plans

Neighbourhood Plans once 'made' i.e. adopted, become part of the statutory development plan for that area and the local planning authority (Ashford Borough Council) will be used in determining planning applications in the following parishes within Ashford borough:

Recommended: That Full Council 'make' the Boughton Aluph and Eastwell Parishes Neighbourhood Plan 2013-2030 in accordance with Section 38A(4) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, to become part of the Development Plan.

Boughton Aluph and Eastwell Neighbourhood Plan Thursday 21st October 2021

Neighbourhood Areas with plans in preparation

The following parishes within Ashford borough are designated formally as 'neighbourhood areas' under the Localism Act (2011), and are in the process of developing their neighbourhood plans.

A neighbourhood plan may only be prepared and submitted for examination by a qualifying body, which in parished areas is the parish or town council. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) states (para. 29) that 'Neighbourhood planning gives communities the power to develop a shared vision for their area. Neighbourhood plans can shape, direct and help to deliver sustainable development, by influencing local planning decisions as part of the statutory development plan' Furthermore, the NPPF states that 'Neighbourhood plans should not promote less development than set out in the strategic policies for the area, or undermine those strategic policies'.