Before the neighbourhood forum can start to draft the neighbourhood plan, it is advisable to start to engage the local community and to give people an opportunity to participate. It is also important to start building an ‘evidence base’ for the plan. Planning policies and proposals need to be based on an understanding of the place they relate to.
A good starting point is to look at the socio-economic profile of the local population, such as Census data in the Office for National Statistics website.
Use evidence that is already in the public domain, along with evidence that you collect, potentially through early consultation, to prepare your plan.
We can provide guidance and relevant examples of evidence, including that gathered to support its own plan-making, with the forum.