Neighbourhood Plan

Neighbourhood Plan

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A Neighbourhood Plan for Keighley will influence what kind of new development goes where, and what sorts of social and leisure facilities are needed to make our town a better place to live and work.

Welcome

Welcome to Keighley’s Neighbourhood Plan webpage. Here, you will be able to find all information relating to the development of the Neighbourhood Plan for Keighley.

The Steering Group has begun its work, which includes appointing a consultation to assist the group with the development of the Neighbourhood Plan. The Steering Group, via the Town Council as the accountable body, has also been awarded £9,980 of Government funding to help with the costs associated with the Neighbourhood Plan.

In October and November 2023, the Steering Group held a series of workshops across Keighley that helped identify the key themes the plan should be focussed on. The themes are:

  • Environment
  • Housing Mix
  • Town Centre
  • Transport & Connections
  • Built Hertiage
  • Employment Opportunities

The next stage of the consultation process is to gather feedback on the key themes and ask if there are any other areas the plan should focus on. In early March 2024, every household in Keighley will receive an information leaflet about the key themes and with information on Neighbourhood Plans. Residents will have the chance to provide their feedback via an online survey. All responses submitted by 21st April date will be entered into a draw to win an iPad.

If you want more information or would be interested in joining the Steering Group please contact the Town Clerk, Joe Cooney, townclerk@keighley.gov.uk, 01535 872126, Civic Centre, North Street, Keighley, BD21 3RZ.

For more information on Neighbourhood Planning, you can visit https://neighbourhoodplanning.org/ You can also find information on Keighley’s plan and other plans in the Bradford District by visiting https://www.bradford.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning-policy/neighbourhood-areas/?Folder=Keighley

Key Documents

Neighbourhood Plan FAQs

What is a Neighbourhood Plan?

  • A neighbourhood plan is a community-led framework for guiding the future development and growth of an area. It may contain a vision, aims, planning policies, proposals for improving the area or providing new facilities, or allocation of key sites for specific kinds of development. All neighbourhood plans must meet basic conditions (see Question 6).
  • A neighbourhood plan relates to the use and development of land and associated social, economic and environmental issues. It may deal with a wide range of issues (like housing, employment, heritage and transport) or it may focus on one or two issues that are of particular importance in a local area.
  • A neighbourhood plan will be subject to independent examination and local referendum. Once adopted or ‘made’ the Keighley Neighbourhood Plan would form part of the development plan for the area, which Bradford Metropolitan District Council, as the Local Planning Authority, would use to make decisions on planning applications within Keighley Parish.

Why should we have a Plan?

  • It will provide the Keighley community with more control over the future of their area by giving local people the chance to have their say on what happens where they live, and influence the nature and location of any future development
  • It will increase understanding of community needs and aspirations
  • It will enable 25% of all Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding to be retained by the Town Council, as opposed to the current 15%. This means that more CIL expenditure will be directed to Keighley so that the community gets the maximum local benefit

What area does the Plan cover?

  • The Plan covers the whole of Keighley Parish.

Who is leading on the Plan?

  • Keighley Town Council is the ‘qualifying body’ that is leading on the Plan. It is in the process of setting up a Steering Group comprising of Town Councillors, District Councillors and members of the community, who are responsible for the day-to-day management of the Neighbourhood Plan, and who are supported by the Town Council’s Town Clerk, and the Council will retain a Planning Consultant.

How long will it take to produce the Plan?

  • The plan process got underway in late 2022 early 2023. and hope to complete the Neighbourhood Plan in Spring 2025. The Plan will cover the period up to 2038, the same period that will be covered by the Emerging Bradford Local Plan. The Neighbourhood Plan will need to be reviewed every five years.

What basic conditions must the plan fulfil?

  • Plans will have to be considered by an independent examiner to ensure that they are legally compliant and consistent with these requirements.

Can the Plan be used to block development?

  • Neighbourhood planning is about shaping development of a local area in a positive manner. It is not a tool to be used to prevent development proposals from taking place. Policies in a neighbourhood plan should comply with existing and emerging strategic and national policies. Neighbourhood plans are not able to promote less development than set out in Bradford Metropolitan District Council’s Local Plan or national guidance, but they can promote more. A neighbourhood plan can be used to ensure that any development is in line with the wishes of the community and is sympathetic to local need.

What weight will be given to the Plan in planning decisions?

  • When adopted or ‘made’, the Neighbourhood Plan will become a statutory planning document. It will form part of the Bradford Metropolitan District Development Plan, and the policies within the Neighbourhood Plan will be given significant weight by Bradford Metropolitan District Council Planners when making decisions on planning applications in Keighley Parish.

Who will pay for the Plan?

  • Keighley Town Council is funding the preparation of the Neighbourhood Plan, with the assistance of some government grant funding. Bradford Metropolitan District Council will pay for the independent examination and the referendum, as well as providing technical advice and practical support.