View the steps involved in NDPs

STEP 1: Get started - decide on the area to be covered by the plan, submit your application to be a Designated Neighbourhood Area, set up your steering group and Plan the Plan and budget.
STEP 2: Identify Issues and gather your evidence base - check on policies you must conform with, gather information on demographics, land use designations, stock take of facilities plus local surveys as appropriate e.g. retail, traffic.
STEP 3: Gather opinions - hopes, issues, challenges and use these to produce the vision and objectives for your NDP.
STEP 4: Generate options for solutions and test these. This may involve consultation, site assessments and/or surveys.
STEP 5: Draw up policies and actions and draft the NDP.
STEP 6 Mandatory consultation with the community and amendment of NDP as appropriate.
STEP 7: Submit the NDP to the local authority for a further mandatory consultation stage.
STEP 8: The local authority organises and pays for an examination of the NDP.
STEP 9: The local authority organises and pays for a referendum. If more than 50% of those voting vote ‘yes’ for the NDP then it becomes a statutory planning document - one that communities will use to support or challenge planning applications.
STEP 10: The NDP is ‘made’ by the local authority.