Five Huntingdonshire villages open neighbourhood plans for consultation.

What a neighbourhood plan is.

A neighbourhood plan is a document, prepared by a parish council or designated forum, that sets local policies on housing, design, green space, transport and community facilities. Once adopted by referendum, it carries statutory weight: planning decisions in the parish must be made in accordance with it, alongside the district's Local Plan and national policy.

In practical terms, that gives a village a real lever to shape what gets built where, what it looks like, and which sites are protected. Most of these five plans run from the present to 2036, which is the planning horizon they've been drafted against.

Why this matters if you own or are buying here.

For owners, an adopted neighbourhood plan tends to firm up property values: it tells potential buyers what the village intends to look like in ten years, which reduces uncertainty and (when the plan is sensible) supports premium pricing for well-located stock. For buyers, reading the draft plan for a village you're considering is one of the most useful 30 minutes you can spend before making an offer.

How to engage.

Each parish runs the consultation on its own. The relevant parish council websites, plus the Huntingdonshire District Council neighbourhood planning page, host the draft documents and the comment form. The consultation closes at the end of the day on 23 June 2026; comments can be submitted by email or by post.

Sources: Huntingdonshire District Council neighbourhood planning page; parish council notices for the five consultations (Alconbury, Great Gidding, Little Gidding, Hamerton, Winwick); consultation period 11 May to 23 June 2026.