Villages and towns which have yet to embark on a neighbourhood plan are being given a £5000 boost from East Cambridgeshire District Council.
A neighbourhood plan is a document that sets out planning policies for an area and can:

• protect local green spaces
• encourage better designed places
• bring forward housing that genuinely meets local needs

It’s written by the local community and helps get the right types of development in the right place.
The council has agreed to set aside a £50,000 Neighbourhood Plan Fund after government funding and support for parishes was withdrawn as part of the 2025 spending review. 

Cllr Anna Bailey, leader of the council, said: “I think it is excellent we are able to provide this funding for our East Cambs communities. We have always supported our parishes with their neighbourhood planning and I’m really pleased we are able to continue to do so going forward.”

To help mitigate the costs of preparing neighbourhood plans, parish councils will be able to apply on a first come first served basis to the district council for up to £5000 contribution up to 31 March 2028. Parish councils who are currently reviewing an adopted neighbourhood plan are also able to apply to the fund.

Once consulted upon, finalised and deemed to meet certain regulations, they are put to a local referendum of the community. 

If that referendum is successful, they are then formally ‘made’ and become part of the statutory development plan for East Cambridgeshire and are used by the district council to determine planning applications. 
Currently there are 10 adopted plans in the district, with Witcham Neighbourhood Plan at the advanced post-examination stage.

More information on neighbourhood planning is available on the council’s website or email planningpolicy@eastcambs.gov.uk.