Neighbourhood Forums are a construct of

Local government in England Local government in England broadly consists of three layers: regional authorities, local authorities and parish councils. Legislation concerning English local government is passed by Parliament of the United Kingdom, Parliament, as England does n ...

and are defined in the

Town and Country Planning Act 1990 The Town and Country Planning Act 1990c 8 is an act of the United Kingdom Parliament regulating the development of land in England and Wales. It is a central part of English land law in that it concerns town and country planning in the United ...

as a body that organises the production of a neighbourhood plan. Where town or

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

councils exist those bodies may apply to the local planning authority (usually a district or borough council) for the devolution of neighbourhood planning powers. Where an area is ''unparished'' (usually because it is within a city or urban area) then local people may seek to create a neighbourhood forum and then apply to the local planning authority for its formal ''designation''. A designated neighbourhood forum is an organisation empowered by local planning authority to lead the neighbourhood planning process in the absence of a town or parish council.

References

{{UK planning Housing in the United Kingdom