Conservation body submits Kensington Neighbourhood Plan application

The application is in accordance with the new neighbourhood planning regulations that came into force on 6 April under the Localism Act, which allow local communities to specify where they want development to take place in a 'neighbourhood plan'.

If a designation is made of the "Norland Neighborhood Area" no other organisation or body may be designated for that neighbourhood area until that designation expires or is withdrawn, the Council said.

This is thought to be the first application for a neighbourhood forum in England. Under the Localism Act, a neighbourhood plan can be adopted by either a "town and parish council" or, if there is no town or parish council, a "neighbourhood forum".

The Norland Conservation Society has approximately 370 members and was originally founded in 1969 to “protect and preserve, and stimulate public interest in the area". The society's vision for the area is to "enhance and protect the character and historic features that define Norland's sense of place", it said in its application. 

The Society also plans to protect the area’s listed buildings; discourage and reduce traffic noise and disturbance, and "manage new development in such a way as to conserve local character".

The Council is consulting with local residents and other interested stakeholders on the Society's application. The consultation will run until 22 May.

The Norland Conservation Society was awarded £20,000 funding from the Department for Communities and Local Government to help take forward its neighbourhood plan.

"The Norland Conservation Society has undertaken a considerable amount of work to revise the Norland Conservation Area Proposal Statement, originally prepared in 1981, and we are taking this forward as a Neighbourhood Plan," the Council said.

Last week, Dawlish parish announced that it was the first neighbourhood plan to reach examination stage in the country. The plan was set up by a steering group of local representative in Dawlish, that aims to guide development of the Dawlish parish over the next 20 years. The examination will take place at the end of this month.