Neighbourhood priorities statements and what they can do
Created by the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023, a priorities statement is a light touch way for a parish to influence a local plan. Here is what it can and cannot do.
A neighbourhood priorities statement is a short document in which a parish council or neighbourhood forum sets out what the community wants for its area, and which the local planning authority must have regard to when preparing its local plan. It was created by the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 as a lighter alternative to a full neighbourhood plan. It carries no weight in deciding individual planning applications.
That last sentence is the one to absorb before spending a year on one. A priorities statement influences the plan. It does not decide the application for 40 houses on the field behind the village hall.
What the statement is and who can prepare one
The power sits in the plan-making reforms that Schedule 7 to the 2023 Act inserts into the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. The bodies that can prepare a statement are the same qualifying bodies that can prepare a neighbourhood development plan: a parish or town council for its own area, or a neighbourhood forum designated for a defined area where no parish council exists.
The content is deliberately open. A statement may set out the community's priorities and preferences for matters such as the use and development of land, housing, the local economy, the environment and local facilities. It is a statement of what the community wants, expressed in ordinary language, rather than a set of policies drafted for decision makers.
There is no examination, no independent examiner and no referendum. That is the whole point of the mechanism, and it is why a statement can be produced by a parish council with a small budget and a working group of volunteers.
The plan-making provisions in Schedule 7 are being brought into force in stages through commencement regulations and supporting secondary legislation. This note is written as at September 2026, so check the current commencement position and any regulations prescribing form and content before you begin. The planning law timeline is a reasonable place to follow that.
How it differs from a neighbourhood plan
A neighbourhood development plan, once made, forms part of the statutory development plan for the area. Applications must then be determined in accordance with it unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Getting there involves a formal process: designation of the area, drafting, pre-submission consultation, submission, independent examination, and a referendum of local electors.
A priorities statement has none of that machinery and none of that force. The obligation it creates is on the local planning authority, and it is an obligation to have regard to the statement in preparing its plan.
| Feature | Neighbourhood plan | Priorities statement |
|---|---|---|
| Part of the development plan | Yes | No |
| Independent examination | Yes | No |
| Referendum | Yes | No |
| Can allocate sites with policy force | Yes | No |
| Weight in deciding applications | Substantial | None directly |
| Typical timescale | Years | Months |
Having regard to something is a real duty in public law. The authority has to consider the statement properly and be able to show that it did. It does not have to agree with it, and a plan that departs from a statement is not unlawful for that reason alone.
What a local planning authority has to do with it
The duty bites during plan preparation. In practice that means the authority should log statements received, reflect their content in the evidence base and issues stage, and explain in the plan documents how the priorities have been taken into account.
Where a statement identifies something concrete, such as protecting a specific green space, supporting small scale housing for local families, or resisting the loss of the last shop, that is a prompt for the authority to consider a Local Green Space designation, a rural exception site policy or a community facility protection policy. The statement itself does none of those things. It puts them on the table.
Where a statement is a list of general aspirations with no mapped content, the honest answer is that it will be noted and little else will happen. Specificity is what makes the duty useful.
Evidence and consultation worth doing
There is no statutory consultation process, which means the credibility of the statement rests entirely on how it was produced. A statement backed by a parish wide survey with a documented response rate, a public meeting and a mapped set of priorities is hard for a plan maker to ignore. A statement written by four people in a back room is easy to ignore.
Useful practice looks like this:
- Agree the area the statement covers and confirm the qualifying body's status.
- Run an open call for issues, with a deadline and a published summary of responses.
- Map everything that can be mapped, including valued open spaces, views, footpaths and problem junctions.
- Prioritise, and say openly what was considered and rejected.
- Publish the draft, take comments, and record how they changed the document.
- Send it to the local planning authority formally and ask for written acknowledgement.
Keep it short. A statement of 10 to 20 pages with clear maps will be read. One of 90 pages will be skimmed.
The limits worth being honest about
A priorities statement cannot allocate sites, cannot set development management policies, cannot remove permitted development rights and cannot bind a planning committee. It does not attract the higher neighbourhood share of the Community Infrastructure Levy, which under the levy regulations rises to 25 per cent of receipts, uncapped, only where a neighbourhood development plan is in place. The capped 15 per cent share continues to apply otherwise.
It also cannot deal with matters outside the planning system. Speeding, dog fouling, bus timetables and the condition of the village hall roof are real community concerns and none of them is a land use policy. Including them dilutes the document.
Where a community's main aim is to control where development goes, a neighbourhood plan remains the only route with statutory force. Where the aim is to influence a local plan that is about to be reviewed, a statement is proportionate and fast. Communities sometimes do both, using the statement as the first step and the plan as the second.
For readers who want to understand how other community tools carry weight, our notes on local nature recovery strategies and on Article 4 directions and the national policy test cover two mechanisms that do bite on decisions.
Choosing your moment
Timing matters more than content. A statement submitted while the authority is gathering evidence for a plan review has a chance of shaping allocations. The same statement submitted after the draft plan has been published will be treated as a consultation response.
Ask the authority for its local development scheme, which sets out the timetable for plan preparation, and work backwards from the issues and options stage. Parish councils that do this land their priorities in the evidence base. Those that do not end up objecting to allocations two years later with far less influence.
When a local plan consultation does open, the technical documents that carry weight are the ones grounded in policy. You can draft planning statements and supporting reports from the full report index and have them reviewed before submission.
This is general guidance, not legal advice. Check the position with your local planning authority or a qualified professional before relying on it. PlanScope provides AI-assisted draft reports for planning applications. Reports should be reviewed before submission. We do not guarantee planning approval.
Frequently asked questions
Who can prepare a neighbourhood priorities statement?
The same qualifying bodies that can prepare a neighbourhood development plan. That means a parish or town council for its own area, or a neighbourhood forum designated for a defined area where no parish council exists. There is no examination and no referendum, so the process is far shorter.
Does a priorities statement carry weight in deciding a planning application?
Not directly. It does not form part of the statutory development plan, so applications are not determined in accordance with it. The duty it creates falls on the local planning authority, which must have regard to the statement when preparing its local plan rather than when deciding applications.
Does a priorities statement give access to the higher share of the levy?
No. The uncapped 25 per cent neighbourhood share of Community Infrastructure Levy receipts applies where a neighbourhood development plan is in place. A priorities statement leaves the capped 15 per cent share in place, so communities seeking the higher share need a full plan.
How long should a neighbourhood priorities statement be?
Short enough to be read. Ten to twenty pages with clear maps and a prioritised list works better than a ninety page document. Specificity matters more than length, because mapped and concrete priorities give the plan maker something to act on while general aspirations do not.
When is the best time to submit a statement to the council?
Before or during the issues and options stage of a local plan review, when the authority is still gathering evidence. Check the council's local development scheme for the timetable and work backwards. A statement submitted after a draft plan is published will be treated as an ordinary consultation response.
Sources and further reading
This article is general guidance about the planning system in England and, where stated, the rest of the UK. It is not legal or professional advice. Check your local planning authority’s validation requirements and take professional advice for your specific site.