Decision details

That the Planning Policy Team Leader
exercises their delegated authority to designate the whole of the Little Missenden Parish
Council area as a Neighbourhood Area.

On the 7th of September 2022, Little Missenden Parish Council submitted a Neighbourhood Area Application requesting that the whole of its parish area be designated as a Neighbourhood Area.

Little Missenden Parish Council’s application was submitted in accordance with Regulation 5A that was inserted into the 2012 Neighbourhood Planning Regulations (1) by amended regulations which came into force on the 1st October 2016 (2).

The effect of Regulation 5A is that, if a parish council submits a Neighbourhood Area Application that requests that the whole of its parish area is designated a Neighbourhood Area, the Local Planning Authority (Buckinghamshire Council) must use its powers under the Act 3 to designate the whole of the parish area as a Neighbourhood Area.

The regulations also state that, where a parish has submitted a Neighbourhood Area application to include the whole of its parish area, the Local Planning Authority is not required to consult or publicise the Neighbourhood Area Application. Therefore,
Buckinghamshire Council does not need to carry out any publicity of the Neighbourhood Area Application in advance of the Neighbourhood Area being designated.

The Council is legally required to designate a neighbourhood area where a valid application has been made by a Parish Council (Little Missenden Parish Council in this case) for a neighbourhood area covering the whole of its parish area.