The Government's process for enabling Neighbourhood Plans is to encourage local residents to play an active part in planning the future of their neighbourhood. The process requires consultation with residents and other stakeholders at every stage of the development of the local plan. From the first questionnaire in Spring 2015 and throughout the process the Neighbourhood Forum is responsible for ensuring that all residents are consulted and that residents voices are heard.

Progress to date

The Neighbourhood Plan was submitted to the London Borough of Barnet in December 2019 and is being considered by the Independent Examiner. The Neighbourhood Plan can be seen here.

Timeline to the implementation of the Neighbourhood Plan

The timeline below sets out the process to achieve the implementation of the West Finchley Neighbourhood Plan by early 2020.

The timetable for developing the Neighbourhood Plan and the timeline to achieve it by summer 2020 were presented at a Forum Meeting on 19 November 2018. You can see the presentation here.

The target timeline agreed by the Forum is:

Timetable

• Design Guidance received Mid-December 2018
• Final Heritage and Character Assessment, Design Guidance incorporated into draft Neighbourhood Plan by 15 March 2019
• Consultation documents, display boards and questionnaire by 15 March 2019
• Consultation launched at Forum meeting 18 March 2019
• Consultation leaflet-drops and two drop-in sessions March/April 2019
• Consultation closes end 13 May 2019
• Analysis of consultation results and necessary revisions to draft Plan May 2019
• Revised draft Plan and narrative report on the consultation findings presented to Forum 10 June
• Draft Plan sent to LB Barnet
• Response from LB Barnet
• Independent examination
• LB Barnet local consultation
• Final referendum 2020

Drop-in event 20 Nov 2017 brought in new interest

The Neighbourhood Forum drop-in session at the Gordon Hall on Monday 20 November 2017 was well attended. The drop-in event was followed by a meeting of the Forum. The Minutes of the meeting are available here.

Summary of Neighbourhood Plan process

This presentation was given by Nexus Planning at the Forum Meeting in November 2017

Gathering data for the Baseline Report

An analysis of the Census statistical data for the West Finchley area was presented at the AGM by Suzanne King. These statistics will be used for the background data that will appear in the Neighbourhood Plan.

Also at the meeting, it was announced that Nexus Planning, with the help of a grant from DCLG, will work with the Forum and Executive with an aim to have a completed Plan adopted by Autumn 2018. There will be two stages of consultation with the neighbourhood as well as the statutory consultation before the final referendum when the plan is put to the neighbourhood.