The 2011 Localism Act has given communities the right to draw up a Neighbourhood Plan. This right is aimed at giving local communities genuine opportunities to influence the future of the places where they live.

The preparation of the Long Whatton and Diseworth Neighbourhood Plan is intended to allow people who live, work and have a business in the area to have a say where they think new houses and businesses should be located and what they should look like. A Neighbourhood Plan can also identify and protect important Local Green Spaces, conserve local heritage and protect areas of nature conservation interest. The Long Whatton and Diseworth Neighbourhood Plan will be a statutory plan which means that once it has been finalised, decisions on planning applications will be made using both the North West Leicestershire Local Plan and the Neighbourhood Plan, and any other material considerations.

The Neighbourhood Plan has now be submitted to North West Leicestershire District Council for publication and, under Regulation 16 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012, a further six-week public consultation will take place before it is sent to an Independent Examiner.
The Examiner will either recommend that:

• the Plan is submitted to a referendum;
• is modified to meet the 'Basic Conditions' and then submitted to a referendum; or that
• the Plan is refused.

If the Examiner is satisfied, North West Leicestershire District Council will arrange a referendum. If the Plan is approved by a simple majority of those voting in the referendum, the District Council will adopt it.
When the Plan is adopted, it will form part of the Statutory Development Plan for the area. North West Leicestershire District Council will continue to be responsible for determining most planning applications, but in the Long Whatton and Diseworth Neighbourhood Area, the policies in the Neighbourhood Plan will form the basis of those decisions along with the adopted North West Leicestershire Local Plan and other material considerations.

A neighbourhood plan must meet each of a set of basic conditions before it can be put to a referendum and be made. The basic conditions state that plans must:

• Have regard to national policies and advice contained in guidance issued by the Secretary of State.
• Contribute to the achievement of sustainable development.
• Be in general conformity with the strategic policies contained in the development plan for the area.
• Not breach, and otherwise be compatible with, EU obligations (now part of UK Law).
• Comply with other prescribed matters.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was first published on 27 March 2012 and updated on 24 July 2018, 19 February 2019, 20 July 2021, 5 September 2023, 19 December 2023 and 12 December 2024. This sets out the government's planning policies for England and how these are expected to be applied.
The planning practice guidance that supports the NPPF is published online.

The relevant development plan for the area is the North West Leicestershire Local Plan 2011 to 2031. The current Local Plan was adopted by North West Leicestershire District Council on 16 March 2021 following a partial review.

North West Leicestershire District Council is undertaking a Local Plan Review. The review will update the adopted Local Plan and will cover the period to 2040. Consultation on the new Local Plan took place between 5 February and 17 March 2024. The Local Plan Review is unlikely to be completed before the end of 2026.

All plan-making and decision-making should help to achieve sustainable development. To demonstrate how the Neighbourhood Plan contributes to improvements in environmental conditions Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) screening was undertaken by North West Leicestershire District Council between July and November 2023. SEA Screening was required before the Parish Council could approve the Draft Neighbourhood Plan for consultation.

The Neighbourhood Plan must also screen to determine whether the Neighbourhood Plan requires a Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) in accordance with Article 6(3) and (4) of the EU Habitats Directive and with Regulation 61 of the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010 (as amended).

The Submission version of the Long Whatton and Diseworth Neighbourhood Plan was preceded by an earlier version. Under Regulation 14 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012, a pre-submission consultation period of no less than six weeks on the proposed Neighbourhood Plan ran from Monday 12 February to Monday 25 March 2024.
A copy of the Pre-Submission Draft of the Plan was made available to download, along with supporting documentation, on the Parish Council website. A summary of the Pre-Submission Draft of the Plan was delivered to all premises within the Parish.

The representations received are summarised in the Consultation Statement.

Our plans for public consultation events in 2021 were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. All members of society were required to adhere to guidance to help combat the spread of COVID-19 and the guidance had implications for neighbourhood planning including public consultation. So, in summer 2021 a questionnaire was delivered to local households inviting residents to complete the survey. There were 353 responses.

There is no 'tick box' list of evidence required for neighbourhood planning. Proportionate, robust evidence is required to support the choices made and the approach taken. The evidence supporting the preparation of the Neighbourhood Plan is included as hyperlinks with the Neighbourhood Plan document. Additional evidence available below.

Long Whatton and Diseworth Parish Council commissioned consultants to undertake a landscape study to support planning policies that identify the distinctive qualities of local landscape character that are to be conserved and enhanced.

Biodiversity data was provided by Leicestershire and Rutland Environmental Records Centre through the emapper service. The Parish Council has been careful not to release data that is confidential or sensitive. Public versions of this data can be downloaded below.

Local Green Space designation is a way to provide special protection against development for green areas of particular importance to local communities. Using a pro-forma provided by our planning consultant, members of the Neighbourhood Plan Working Group have undertaken a detailed appraisal of each Local Green Space against the criteria set out in paragraph 106 of the NPPF.

Within the overall housing figure for the district, the North West Leicestershire Local Plan should set out a housing requirement for designated neighbourhood areas which reflects the overall strategy for the pattern and scale of development and any relevant allocations. However, this has not been completed so, in accordance with national planning policy, the Parish Council has asked North West Leicestershire District Council to provide a housing requirement figure for Long Whatton and Diseworth Neighbourhood Area for the plan period. The following email exchange confirms that housing requirement.

To meet this requirement, the Long Whatton and Diseworth Neighbourhood Plan will need to allocate one or more sites for new housing. National planning practice advises that neighbourhood plan groups should carry out an appraisal of options and an assessment of individual sites against clearly identified criteria. This Site Assessment Framework sets out how sites will be assessed for the allocation of land for housing development. Housing Site Profiles were prepared for each of the sites considered and the scoring matrix summarises the Parish Council's objective assessment of each site.