The funding, which will be around £5.5m a year until 2022, will provide communities with specialist support to help develop a Neighbourhood Plan.
Neighbourhood Plans will give local communities a say in where homes, shops, green spaces and offices should be built and how they should look, according to a statement released by the Government.
Since 2012, more than 2,200 groups have started the neighbourhood planning process, covering nearly 12 million people across England. Over 400 neighbourhood planning referendums have taken place, with an average ‘yes’ vote of 88%.
“With over 400 [neighbourhood plans] now in place more people than ever are having their say on the location and design of new homes, shops and offices in their community,” said Alok Sharma, Housing and Planning Minister.
Trudi Elliott, Royal Town Planning Institute chief executive, said: “Having worked directly with over 274 groups to help them develop neighbourhood plans since their inception, the RTPI knows how much people care about these plans and how important they are in shaping places and building public trust in the planning system.”
“It’s also clear from our experience that people need support to make the plan-making experience easier and worthwhile, so this latest funding is very welcome,” she added.
The government’s housing white paper published in February 2017, focused on supporting neighbourhood planning groups so they can access essential support to allocate sites for housing and to plan for better designs in their area.
Following the housing white paper, a further raft of measures to improve neighbourhood planning will be implemented later this year, as the Neighbourhood Planning Act comes into effect.
