HOUSING and planning minister Brandon Lewis visited Altrincham yesterday, February 26, to announce a multi-million pound boost to support communities interested in neighbourhood planning, writes Richard Craig.
The new support programme runs until 2018 and will set aside £22.5m in funding for local groups to pay for events to engage the local community, print leaflets and to pay for specialist planning expertise.
Tony Collier, chair of Altrincham town centre business neighbourhood forum, met with Mr Lewis and hopes the new grant will help his group of volunteers to improve the town centre.
“It was heartening to hear that further government funding would be available for the plan,” he said.
“We can now apply for vital funds much needed during the consultation phases.
“The Minister commented that Neighbourhood Plans were an excellent way of empowering communities to take control of planning in their area and that he was impressed with the body of work being undertaken to re-vitalise Altrincham."
The new programme means local people who form neighbourhood planning groups to decide on the future development of an area can apply for funding from midday on February 27.
These grants can then be used to pay for events to engage the local community in the process and to pay for specialist planning expertise.
From April the programme will provide community groups with technical assistance and advice to support new neighbourhood plans and development orders.
Currently nearly 1,400 areas use neighbourhood planning powers, and it is hoped the new programme will encourage others to do the same.
Visiting Altrincham Forward, which is seeking a business-led neighbourhood plan for the town, Brandon Lewis said: “From the very beginning we’ve been clear that we wanted to give power back from Whitehall to local communities, and with six million people living in areas producing neighbourhood plans the success of our reforms is clear.
“I want to keep up the momentum, and encourage more areas to come forward and this new £22 million programme for grant applications will do just that.
“It will also support lots more areas and enable people to take control over planning in their neighbourhood.”
For more information on the Forum’s plan to improve the town visit myaltrincham.org
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