New powers to give local people unprecedented influence to determine the future of their areas are to be tried out in 36 more front-runner areas, Planning Minister Greg Clark has announced.

These areas are among the first to test out neighbourhood planning, a radical new power being introduced in the Localism Bill, which will give local people a real voice in deciding how development will look in their area.

For the first time, neighbourhood planning will allow communities to shape their own vision for their community, from deciding the locations of shops, offices and schools to setting standards of design for new housing and protecting green spaces of value to the community.

In areas where local people want to see homes and businesses built, neighbourhood planning will allow communities to grant a blanket planning permission for development to go ahead without developers having to make separate applications.

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The community has the final say on whether a neighbourhood plan comes into force. If more than 50 per cent of people voting in a local referendum support the plan, then the local planning authority must bring it into force.

Neighbourhood planning is designed to return power to local people and local businesses on planning decisions in contrast to the top-down regional strategies being scrapped by the Government.

Planning Minister Greg Clark said: "For too long local people have been shut out of the planning process with no real voice to affect decisions about the places where they live. Unpopular regional strategies left people without the ability to influence the future of their community and this fuelled resentment towards growth. Neighbourhood planning will hand power back to communities to decide the vision for their area as they see fit, encouraging people to plan positively for their future. This is localism in action and the enthusiasm across the country for neighbourhood planning shows how keen communities are to get involved."

The 36 areas announced are the next wave of 'front-runners' to test out neighbourhood planning, bringing the total to 126 across the country. Each front runner's local council is being given £20,000 to support work on neighbourhood planning and free advice from planning experts will be available for the local community.

(CD/GK)