Little Addington Neighbourhood Plan

The preparation of the Little Addington Neighbourhood Plan is intended to allow people who live, work and have a business in the area to have a say where they think new houses and businesses should be located and what they should look like. A Neighbourhood Plan can also identify and protect important Local Green Spaces, conserve local heritage and protect areas of nature conservation interest. The Little Addington Neighbourhood Plan will be a statutory plan which means that once it has been finalised, decisions on planning applications will be made using both the Local Plan and the Neighbourhood Plan, and any other material considerations.

At its meeting of 18 May 2026, Little Addington Parish Council approved (minute LAPC26/509) the submission of the Little Addington Neighbourhood Plan and accompanying documents to North Northamptonshire Council under Regulation 15 of The Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012.  A copy of the Pre-Submission Draft of the Plan is available to download, along with supporting documentation, at the bottom of this page.

The Plan will now be submitted to North Northamptonshire Council for publication and, under Regulation 16 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012, a further six-week public consultation will take place before it is sent to an Independent Examiner.

Basic Conditions

A neighbourhood plan must meet each of a set of basic conditions before it can be put to a referendum and be made. The basic conditions state that plans must:

National Policies and Guidance

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was first published on 27 March 2012 and updated on 24 July 2018, 19 February 2019, 20 July 2021, 5 September 2023, 19 December 2023 and 12 December 2024. This sets out the government’s planning policies for England and how these are expected to be applied. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67aafe8f3b41f783cca46251/NPPF_December_2024.pdf

The planning practice guidance that supports the NPPF is published online.https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67aafe8f3b41f783cca46251/NPPF_December_2024.pdfhttps://www.gov.uk/government/collections/planning-practice-guidance

The Development Plan

The Parish of Little Addington is covered by the following development plan documents, which make up the Local Plan (strategic and non-strategic policies):

North Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy 2011-2031
The North Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy is the overall strategic plan for North Northamptonshire. It was adopted in July 2016.

http://www.nnjpu.org.uk/docs/Joint%20Core%20Strategy%202011-2031%20High%20Res%20version%20for%20website.pdf

East Northamptonshire Local Plan (Part 2)
The East Northamptonshire Local Plan (Part 2) was adopted by North Northamptonshire Council on 7 December 2023. The Part 2 Local Plan replaces remaining policies from the 2011 Rural North, Oundle and Thrapston Plan (RNOTP) and the 1996 East Northamptonshire District Local Plan (DLP).

https://cms.northnorthants.gov.uk/media/11930/download

Strategic Environmental Assessment

All plan-making and decision-making should help to achieve sustainable development. To demonstrate how this Neighbourhood Plan will contribute to improvements in environmental conditions a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) has been undertaken. The SEA also considers how any potential adverse effects arising from the proposals may be prevented, reduced or offset (referred to as mitigation measures).

An Environmental Report, which accompanies the submission of the Little Addington Neighbourhood Plan, has been modified following consultation at Pre-Submission (Reg. 14) stage. Prior to the Environmental Report, was a SEA Scoping Report which includes information about the Neighbourhood Area’s environment and community. These documents are available for download below.

Habitat Regulations Assessment (HRA)

A Habitat Regulations Assessment will inform the Parish Council of the potential effects of its Neighbourhood Plan on Habitats (previously European) Sites (Special Areas of Conservation, SACs, Special Protection Areas, SPAs, and Ramsar sites designated under the Ramsar convention) and how they are being addressed in the draft Neighbourhood Plan. The HRA was finalised following consultation at Pre-Submission (Reg. 14) stage.

Previous Consultation

Neighbourhood Plan Introductory Events
In the Spring of 2023, a Coffee Morning and consultation event at Saint Mary the Virgin Church allowed local people to find out about neighbourhood planning and decide whether they would support the preparation of a neighbourhood plan for Little Addington. In October 2023, a second Coffee Morning and consultation event at the Bell Inn provided local people with an opportunity to identify some of the key issues the neighbourhood plan should address. The feedback was extremely informative with a good cross-section of views and opinions.

Questionnaire Survey
The feedback from the introductory event helped us to prepare a questionnaire survey. In March 2025, local households were invited to complete a questionnaire survey. There were 109 responses, and the results of the household questionnaire have been published here. On 13 May 2025, our planning consultant presented the results of the questionnaire survey in Saint Mary the Virgin Church and set out the next steps.

Evidence

There is no ‘tick box’ list of evidence required for neighbourhood planning. Proportionate, robust evidence is required to support the choices made and the approach taken. The evidence supporting the preparation of the Neighbourhood Plan is also available here.

Pre-Submission Consultation
The feedback from the consultation events, questionnaire results and information about the area have helped the preparation of a (Pre-Submission) Draft version of the Little Addington Neighbourhood Plan. Under Regulation 14 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012, a pre-submission consultation period of no less than six weeks on the proposed Neighbourhood Plan took place from 22 February to 5 April 2026.
A copy of the Pre-Submission Draft of the Plan was available to download, along with supporting documentation, on the Parish Council website. A newsletter publicising the Pre-Submission Draft of the Plan was delivered to all households within the Parish.
All representations and comments have been considered by Little Addington Parish Council and used to amend the Draft Plan. A Consultation Statement, including a summary of all comments received and how these were considered, is set out within the Consultation Statement that can be downloaded below.