WNC Feedback sought on how the Council engages with communities on its planning services

Feedback sought on how the Council engages with communities on its planning services

Residents, businesses, and stakeholders are being encouraged to share their views on how West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) communicates on planning matters.

The Council is consulting on a draft Statement of Community Involvement (SCI), which outlines how it will engage with the public during the preparation of the Local Plan, other planning policies, and when considering planning applications.

All local planning authorities are required to have an SCI to ensure that public consultation is fair, efficient, and effective. The SCI sets out who will be consulted, when consultations will take place, and the methods used.

Currently, there are five SCIs in place for the area, including one for the new Local Plan (adopted in January 2024), and three inherited from legacy authorities. WNC now proposes to bring four of these together into a single, streamlined document to improve transparency and consistency.

The consultation runs until Monday, 25 August and people can share their views on our consultation hub or by getting in touch via email or post:

Email: localplan@westnorthants.gov.uk
Telephone: 0300 126 7000
Postal address:

• Planning Policy SCI
• West Northamptonshire Council
• The Guildhall
• St Giles’ Square
• Northampton
• NN1 1DE

All feedback received during the consultation will be carefully reviewed and used to refine the draft SCI. The updated document will then be presented to the Planning Policy Committee for consideration.