Royal Leamington Spa Neighbourhood Development Plan
4.0 Planning Policy Context
4.1 Neighbourhood Development Plans must have regard to national policies and advice and be in general conformity with the strategic policies of the development plan for the area (Figure 5). It is therefore important that, as the Plan is prepared, the RLSNDP's policies reflect this higher-level planning policy framework.
Figure 5. Relationship of the RLSNDP, national policy and guidance and the Warwick District Local Plan
National Planning Policy and Guidance
4.2 National planning policy is set out in the revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)[1] published in February 2019. This sets out in paragraphs 7 and 8 that the purpose of the planning system is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development, and that the planning system has three overarching objectives which are interdependent and need to be pursued in mutually supportive ways: an economic objective, a social objective and an environmental objective.
4.3 The Warwick District Local Plan sets strategic planning policy for the area. The NPPF sets out the scope of non-strategic policies that can be used in neighbourhood plans. These can be "more detailed policies for specific areas, neighbourhoods or types of development" (paragraph 28) this can include "allocating sites, the provision of infrastructure and community facilities at a local level, establishing design principles, conserving and enhancing the natural and historic environment and setting out other development management policies." More specifically for neighbourhood plans NPPF states:
- Neighbourhood planning gives communities the power to develop a shared vision for their area. Neighbourhood plans can shape, direct and help to deliver sustainable development, by influencing local planning decisions as part of the statutory development plan. Neighbourhood plans should not promote less development than set out in the strategic policies for the area, or undermine those strategic policies.
- Once a neighbourhood plan has been brought into force, the policies it contains take precedence over existing non-strategic policies in a local plan covering the neighbourhood area, where they are in conflict; unless they are superseded by strategic or non-strategic policies that are adopted subsequently.
4.4 The RLSNDP has also been prepared by taking into account advice in the National Planning Practice Guidance (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/planning- practice-guidance).
Warwick Strategic Planning Policy
4.5 Neighbourhood plans must be in general conformity with the strategic policies of the Local Plan (all policies with the prefix "DS", ending in "0" and Policy H1 – Directing Housing). These strategic policies are contained in the Warwick District Local Plan 2011-2029 (adopted September 2017).
4.6 The level of detail and scope of the strategic planning policies in the Warwick District Local Plan means that many of the "major" planning issues up to 2029 have already been addressed. The number of new homes, protection of the Green Belt and policy for Royal Leamington Spa town centre. These are shown in Figures 6 and 9 in this document, these Figures are taken from the Local Plan and show the strategic policy for the wider Warwick District area, including Royal Leamington Spa and for Royal Leamington Spa town centre. The RLSNDP, therefore, does not seek to replace or duplicate these strategic planning policies: they already form part of the development plan for the area. What the RLSNDP seeks to do is to add planning policies with greater levels of detail that will sit alongside and complement the strategic policies in the Warwick District Local Plan.
9 Levels of new housing provision are set in the Local Plan