Last updated: 28 December 2023

Next review: 5 June 2024

Neighbourhood plans were introduced by the Localism Act 2011, allowing communities to draw up a plan for their local area. The aim is (within certain limits) to give people more of a say in how their local area is developed.

Neighbourhood plans are led by authorised community organisations – a neighbourhood forum.  In line with the Neighbourhood Planning Regulations (2012), community groups who wish to do this must apply to us for neighbourhood area/forum designation (PDF).

We encourage neighbourhood plans to be prepared as 'Community Plans'. These will then be adopted as a Supplementary Planning Document without having to go through a formal independent examination and referendum.

Highams Park Neighbourhood Area / Forum

We designated the Highams Park Neighbourhood Area / Forum on 15 July 2014. The Highams Park Planning Group is preparing the neighbourhood plan for the Highams Park area (PDF). The plan must be in keeping with planning policy and our Local plan. 

The designation lasts for five years. We designated the Highams Park Neighbourhood Area / Forum on Monday 8 July 2019, following public consultation.

Find out more

Planning Policy Team

London Borough of Waltham Forest
The Magistrates,
1 Farnan Avenue,
Walthamstow,
London E17 4NX

Highams Park Neighbourhood Plan

On Thursday 21 May 2020: Full Council unanimously agreed that the plan should be made. See the full version:

Referendum on the Highams Park Neighbourhood Plan

To meet the requirements of the Localism Act 2011, there was a referendum on Thursday 5 March 2020. The referendum question was:

“Do you want the London Borough of Waltham Forest to use the neighbourhood development plan for the Highams Park Neighbourhood Area to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?”

Of the votes cast, 95.7 per cent voted in favour of adopting the Neighbourhood Plan. The turnout was 21.8 per cent.

Consultation on the Highams Park Neighbourhood Plan

The Highams Park Planning Group (HPPG) submitted a Draft Neighbourhood Plan to the council on 14 November 2018.

We sought representations on the plan in accordance with Regulation 16 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (as amended) before it is submitted to an independent examination.

This consultation on the submission version of the plan ran from 7 January 2019 to 18 February 2019.

The area the plan covers is within the blue boundary on the map and includes parts of four Waltham Forest Council Wards.

Documents

The HPPG submitted the following documents as part of the consultation process on The Draft Neighbourhood Plan:

What happens when?

  • June 2019 The Examiner’s report of June 2019 concluded that, subject to the policy modifications recommended being made, the Plan will meet the Basic Conditions and should proceed to a referendum
  • Draft Highams Park Neighbourhood Plan Decision Statement (PDF)
  • Appendix One (PDF)
  • Appendix Two (PDF)
  • July 2019: Following a period of public consultation the Council renewed the HPPG’s designation as the neighbourhood planning body at Cabinet on Monday 8 July 2019.
  • Thursday 5 March 2020: Resident referendum had 95.7 per cent of those voting approving the plan.
  • Thursday 23 April 2020: Waltham Forest Council Cabinet approved the plan and recommended Full Council adopt it.
  • Thursday 21 May 2020: Full Council agreed that the plan should be made.

Highams Park Planning Group Redesignation

The Council designated the Highams Park Neighbourhood Area / Forum on 15 July 2014, for five years. The Highams Park Planning Group (as the designated Neighbourhood Forum) is the relevant body preparing the neighbourhood plan for the Highams Park area. 

On Sunday 7 April 2019, Highams Park Planning Group submitted an application for re-designation. There was a public consultation on the from Monday 29 April 2019 until Monday 10 June 2019.

After considering the consultation responses received, we renewed the HPPG’s designation as the neighbourhood planning body at Cabinet on Monday 8 July.

Supporting documents

The relevant consultation documents are;

  1. Map showing boundary of the area covered by the Highams Park Planning Group (PDF)
  2. Constitution of the Highams Park Planning Group (PDF)

The application documents are available to view at:

  1. Reception, Magistrates Building, 2 Farnan Avenue, Walthamstow, E17 4NX
  2. Hale End Library, Castle Avenue, Highams Park, E4 9QD

Contact: Local Plans Officer