Plans for Neighbourhoods - five lessons on planning and delivery

Last week, the Government confirmed the 75 local authorities awarded revenue funding to support local plan preparation and delivery under the new Plans for Neighbourhoods scheme.

Building on the former Long Term Plans for Towns initiative, the scheme retains the endowment-style funding model—projects identified and delivered by Neighbourhood Boards (formerly Town Boards) in consultation with local people. The 75:25 capital-to-revenue split remains unchanged.

What’s different is the broader list of ‘pre-approved interventions’. These now include community asset ownership, tackling homelessness, and investment in energy infrastructure. The Government claims to have doubled the scope of eligible projects, creating a more flexible framework going forward.

The updated legislation is welcome—but overdue. Many towns that had previously formed Town Boards and undertaken community engagement have been left in limbo. Draft plans have sat on shelves for nine months or more, waiting for new guidance.

With funding now available, the task isn’t just to dust off old plans—but to sharpen, adapt, and deliver them with renewed purpose.

But to do so effectively, we must avoid duplication and wasted effort. Many towns already have strong foundations: a framework, a board, and a clear sense of direction. Having supported several towns in developing their Long Term Plans under the previous administration, we’ve learned a few things that may help:

1. Don’t Be Afraid to Innovate

Plans that push beyond the standard intervention list are encouraged—even if they require business cases.

In practice, we’ve seen many town boards and consultants treat the pre-approved interventions like a strict menu. This avoids extra paperwork but limits creativity and the ability to respond to a town’s individual character and needs.

As new Neighbourhood Plans are prepared, we urge Councils and Boards to resist that temptation. Be ambitious. Focus on what really matters for your town—even if it means writing a business case to justify it.

2. Be Realistic

The towns selected are some of the most deprived in the country. They face deeply rooted issues that money alone won’t fix.

When identifying needs and interventions, steer clear of over-simplified assumptions—like ‘a pretty high street will solve everything’. We’ve seen many towns with attractive public spaces, but whose residents remain trapped in cycles of poverty, low aspiration and social isolation.

A water feature is lovely—but when your community is facing existential challenges, decision-makers (especially those not living locally) must stay focused on what will really shift the dial.

3. Consider Long-Term Delivery

With 75% of funding capital-based, long-term sustainability must be built in from the start. That means designing interventions—community centres, social enterprises, third-sector programmes—that can become self-financing. The same applies to capital projects, with lifetime costs built into the plans.

Charities and community groups often understand this better than anyone. Work with them to get new ideas off the ground, and ensure they’re built on solid business plans that can survive after the funding ends.

Supporting groups to take on community assets can be powerful, but only if they have the tools to succeed. We often work with community groups from day one to ensure governance and business planning are robust enough to secure the future of these initiatives.

4. Governance Matters—So Do the Right Partners

We all know the saying: you can’t please everyone. And sometimes, trying to leads to paralysis.

Strong leadership is essential. Good governance reduces friction and empowers boards to act. Not everyone will agree—and that’s okay. But when individuals or groups block innovation without due cause, their opposition shouldn’t be allowed to stall delivery.

Neighbourhood Boards work best when everyone feels valued—but also when they’re held to shared goals.

5. Consult Properly

Too often, consultation becomes a tick-box exercise. Surveys are overly complex, meaning only a small number of the most engaged citizens respond.

Make things simple. Go where people are. Consult in practical, honest ways that uncover what communities actually need—and how investment can deliver lasting benefit.

In one town, a food co-operative invited us to speak with organisers and members. The ideas we heard—about what should and shouldn’t happen—were rich, relevant and grounded in lived experience and shed light on some of the many challenges facing the local population.

Also, remember: perception isn’t always reality. Concerns around crime and antisocial behaviour, for example, can often be overstated. We’ve seen towns where crime stats are low or falling—but perception remains bleak. Use stakeholder input to verify the facts. In some cases, your challenge isn’t fixing crime, but changing the narrative.

Next Steps

As towns now prepare to dust off and deliver their plans, we’re here to help.

Our multidisciplinary team brings experience in community-led regeneration, from consultation and data analysis to business case development and governance support. We work with Councils, Town Teams, BIDs and CICs to turn plans into action.

Whether you need full project support, help with a specific workstream, or just a no-obligation conversation about your options, get in touch.