ONH Planning for Good

ONH Advice on Budgeting for Planning Many areas across England are currently vulnerable to speculative development. The traditional answer has often been a neighbourhood plan, but with the loss of the Neighbourhood Planning support progr...

Read more about the ONH view on the budgeting options for parish councils here: www.oneillhomer.co.uk/post/budgeti...

🌱 Planning for the future starts with a strong budget! Councils: now is the time to start thinking about how you will allocate funds for planning activities.

The loss of the Neighbourhood Plan grant, and changes to appeals mean knowing when to ask for expert advice is more important than ever.

📢 New Research Highlight: The Hidden Role of Planning Consultants in Neighbourhood Planning
Delighted to share that Neil Homer, Managing Director at ONH, contributed to this research, exploring the role that consultants play in supporting communities in NPing www.oneillhomer.co.uk/post/disenta...

Stoke Poges Inappropriate Development Planning Application Refused The ONH team successfully supported Stoke Poges Parish Council in a planning application case where the build out of a home owner's extension substantially differed from the original approved design.

Another success story (and a case that made the Daily Mail!) ONH supported Stoke Poges Council in their objection to a home owner extension that substantially differed from the original approved design.
Read more about how ONH approached this case on our blog: www.oneillhomer.co.uk/post/stoke-p...

Consultation frenzy: three national planning consultations with deadlines this month The Government has published a suite of ‘working papers’ on aspects of its planning reform proposals. We take a look at each to come to a view on how well they have understood the issues and how well ...

Reminder: there are three national planning consultations with deadlines this month! Of interest to communities are proposals to change who makes planning decisions, and speeding up and simplifying consent for smaller and medium-sized development sites:
www.oneillhomer.co.uk/post/consult...

Neighbourhood Planning Grant Discontinued The news that there will be no new neighbourhood plan programme is disappointing but not unexpected.

In disappointing but not unexpected news this morning, Neighbourhood Planning grants have been discontinued. www.oneillhomer.co.uk/post/neighbo...

Planning Application Refusal at Wicken Road: A Victory for Local Landscape and Heritage ONH supports parish in successful formal objection to a significant new housing development outside the settlement boundary.

Delighted to have supported Newport, Qendon & Rickling in their objection to this scheme, which would have been against the Neighbourhood Plan.
www.oneillhomer.co.uk/post/plannin...

It's something we try and talk about as often as possible! We've been involved with allocating thousands of homes working directly with community groups over the years.
They reach building stages more quickly too.

Cooperative Working in Horsford: A Model for Building Trust and Delivering Community Value In today’s planning environment, collaboration is not a luxury — it is essential. Whether navigating neighbourhood planning, or engaging with developers and local authorities, in many cases it falls t...

Town and parishes - are you seeking practical inspiration on how to work more effectively with your community and local partners?
👉 Horsford Parish Council has turned co-operative working into a model of trust and tangible community benefit: www.oneillhomer.co.uk/post/coopera...

Meet the team: upcoming ONH events Would you like to meet the ONH team? We'll be at these upcoming events.

It's just over two weeks until our free Cheshire Neighbourhood Planning: What Next event on Tuesday 3rd June! Don't forget to register online. Full details here:
www.oneillhomer.co.uk/post/meet-th...

Digital Design Codes: Does your area need one? The first digital design code produced by ONH, for Sandleheath in the New Forest, has now been published.

The first ONH digital design code has now been published! This is an exciting milestone for ONH as we work to create a future for community-led planning that is accessible, clear, easy to navigate and understand:
www.oneillhomer.co.uk/post/digital...

Cheshire Neighbourhood Planning: What Next? Free Event Booking-ONH At Tarvin Community Centre, Tuesday 3rd June 2025, from 7.15pm - 8.30pm This free event is for Clerks, Town & Parish Councillors and Community Forums in Cheshire & Warrington and is hosted by neighbou...

Do you have questions about planning? Would you like to meet the ONH team? We're going to be out and about throughout June - starting with our completely free Cheshire 'Neighbourhood Planning: What Next?' event on 2nd June.
Book your place online: shorturl.at/kNf53

Case study: Benson village relief road Neighbourhood plans can deliver community infrastructure - but what else needs to be in place to create a successful project?

Did you find our introduction to Settlement Spatial Planning intriguing? Taking a coordinated approach to the development of each place at the neighbourhood level can lead to unlocking enormous potential. Take Benson and their need for a relief road: www.oneillhomer.co.uk/post/village...

Come and meet the team! We'll be out and about throughout June, and would love to talk to you about your planning projects and problems: www.oneillhomer.co.uk/post/meet-th...

(Green [Belt]) Fade to Grey … As planning application decisions by Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) and appeal Inspectors start to rack up in favour of housing schemes in the Grey Belt, so we have begun to deliver our first Grey ...

(Green) Fade to Grey...
www.oneillhomer.co.uk/post/green-b...
As planning application decisions by Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) and appeal Inspectors start to rack up in favour of housing schemes in the Grey Belt, so we have begun to deliver our first Grey Belt Studies for local communities.

Neighbourhood Plan Powers In Action: Rural parish wins appeal using NPPF Paragraph 14 In a significant victory for local place-making, Burghclere Parish's Modified Neighbourhood Plan played a pivotal role in successfully resisting a speculative planning appeal for a housing development...

Great news yesterday for our client Burghclere: Modified NP pivotal in refusal of a speculative application outside the settlement boundary.
www.oneillhomer.co.uk/post/neighbo...

From Pressure to Prosperity: How Councils Can Harness Growth for Good through Settlement Spatial Plans Across England, parish and town councils are stepping up to shape the future of their communities. But, with development pressures rising and government policy even more focused on growth, town and pa...

Much discussion continues on the importance of strategic growth for the future of the UK - and Town and Parish Councils have been stepping up to consider the future implications for their area, from the risks to the potential gains:
www.oneillhomer.co.uk/post/pressur...

What is a HELAA or SLAA? What is a HELAA? And how can reviewing this document help when developing a Neighbourhood Plan?

Ever wondered what a HELAA is and how it's relevant to local areas? Here's our quick explainer:
www.oneillhomer.co.uk/post/what-is...?

Quote from ONH Client: “This note is to thank you and Matt for your splendid support of our NDP [Neighbourhood Development Plan] review. Our Steering Group met yesterday evening and gave a strong thumbs up for all of your deliverables - which we would not have been able to craft ourselves.”

It's always lovely to receive feedback like this from our Clients - ONH takes it's social mission seriously, and we are always here to help communities engage with all their planning needs.
Could we help support your project? Get in touch www.oneillhomer.co.uk

Urban neighbourhood plan updates: ONH on the road An ONH confession - we love sharing the progress of our projects. Here's an update from the last few months, focusing on a selection of our current town and city projects:Digital planners:Many of our...

An ONH confession - we love talking about our projects! Here's a sneak peek into how some of our current urban clients have been using digital tools to progress their projects:
www.oneillhomer.co.uk/post/urban-u...

Case Study: Nailsea plans for the future with a planning feasibility study Explore how ONH have supported Nailsea's Planning feasibility study and paved the way for planned changes that will benefit the community and local businesses.

ONH have been working with Nailsea to identify the best options to improve community facilities in the area. Here's how we have approached the request for a feasibility study: www.oneillhomer.co.uk/post/case-st...

Almost all of rural England is parished. Adopting the Ronseal Principle, the most obvious distinction is therefore whether the local council calls itself a town or parish (of villages). We guess 95% accurate.

The Grey Belt and Neighbourhood Plans The Government’s publication of the PPG on its new Grey Belt policy last week the impact on green belt villages is significant

Whatever you think about the introduction of grey belt to green belt, if your Council is impacted it's worth spending some time considering how this might impact development in the area, and what options there might be for Neighbourhood Planners. ONHs view: www.oneillhomer.co.uk/post/the-gre...

Westbury and Berinsfield Neighbourhood Plans Made Explore the stories of Westbury and Berinsfield's Made Neighbourhood Plans, utilising strategic planning and local knowledge.

Morning BlueSky! Two new ONH Neighbourhood Plans officially 'made' over the last few months. Both with strategic implications to consider. (Spot HS2 under construction just in the background of this image of Westbury below) Image with thanks © RobSpicerPhoto.com
www.oneillhomer.co.uk/post/westbur...

How bigger councils could transform public sector planning careers, by Graeme Bell

A positive and well grounded article on Devolution and planning. And the first to spot the value of town/parish councils “stepping up to the plate”. Have to laugh at the author trying desperately hard not to mention neighbourhood planning though!

This has been vital to small planning firms like ours. We’ve already used it twice with fantastic results. And now want to a third time if it survives.

Deddington Neighbourhood Plan Secures a nursery and car park, by allocating above the required dwelling number.

Here's Deddington, Clifton and Hempton: a trio of villages who worked together and allocated a higher number of homes than required for their neighbourhood plan to secure a much needed new nursery and public car park.
Find out more about how ONH got involved:
www.oneillhomer.co.uk/post/case-st...

Case Study: Newport Pagnell Planning Appeal Planning permission refused? Discover more about how we supported Newport Pagnell Town Council to move into the old Police Station building.

Last year, we supported Newport Pagnell Town Council in a case where the Local Planning Authority had refused permission for a scheme to move the Town Council to a historic building in the town. We supported the Council as a rule six party, and were successful: www.oneillhomer.co.uk/post/case-st...

We are delighted to have sent a letter to Minister of State Matthew Pennycook on behalf of the Alliance of Independent Neighbourhood Planning Consultants regarding the Government's commitment to neighbourhood planning and the role these plans play in supporting development.
#neighbourhoodplans

Yesterday ONH were invited to the @unibirmingham.bsky.social to deliver a lecture on Neighbourhood Planning, alongside Adam Sheppard for the @rtpiplanners.bsky.social degree apprenticeship course.

We hope to meet the students in the future as they continue their careers in planning!