Neighbourhood planning
South Woodford Society Forum Re-designation Consultation
The South Woodford Society (https://sowosoc.org/) was officially designated Neighbourhood Forum and Area status in February 2020 by Redbridge Council. However, their Forum status expired in February 2025, and they have submitted documents for an application to have their Forum status re-designated.
A neighbourhood Forum is an organisation or group that lead the neighbourhood planning process within a neighbourhood. Forum designations must be approved by the council, and last for 5 years, but a Forum may be re-designated upon application.
Under the Town & Country Planning Neighbourhood England, Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012, Redbridge Council have begun a six-week consultation with the community in South Woodford from 11 May until 22 June 2026, regarding the South Woodford Society's new application for Forum status. As a Neighbourhood Forum the South Woodford Society will be able to develop a neighbourhood plan and neighbourhood orders for South Woodford, with local community involvement.
The council is asking community groups, businesses and residents within the South Woodford Neighbourhood Area boundary:
Whether the proposed Forum designation meets the requirements set out in Parts 2 and 3 of The Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (requirements which are also reflected in Schedule 9 Part 1, 61F of the Localism Act 2011).
You can access the South Woodford Society's application documents via the links below:
South Woodford Society Application Statement (PDF, 150KB)
South Woodford Society Constitution (PDF, 206KB)
South Woodford Society Neighbourhood Area (PDF, 6,878KB)
You can submit your responses to the consultation by emailing the council at dpd@redbridge.gov.uk.
About the South Woodford Society
The South Woodford Neighbourhood Society have already produced a vision and a set of aims for their neighbourhood plan. They have also commissioned a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Screening Opinion to assess the environmental impact of the vision and aims for their neighbourhood plan.
The screening opinion concluded that the South Woodford Neighbourhood Plan would not require a full SEA or Habitats Regulation Assessment (HRA). Redbridge Council consulted with statutory consultees including the Environment Agency, Historic England and Natural England on the content of the screening opinion and produced a Screening Opinion Report on the responses received. All the statutory consultees agreed that the South Woodford Neighbourhood Plan is not likely to have a significant environmental impact on the area and would not require a full SEA or HRA. The report produced by the council agreed.
The South Woodford Society, can be contacted at e18society@gmail.com for more information. You can read the South Woodford Society's SEA screening opinion and the council's report via the links below:
What is Neighbourhood Planning?
Through Neighbourhood Planning communities can influence the future of their neighbourhood with a neighbourhood plan. This lets them set a vision for the local area and general planning policies to help guide local developments in Redbridge.
Neighbourhood planning came into force in 2012 through the Localism Act. It lets local residents and businesses have their own planning policies that:
- reflect their priorities
- deliver local benefits
- can influence planning decisions
What is a Neighbourhood Plan
A Neighbourhood Plan is:
- a document that sets out planning policies for the neighbourhood area (planning policies are used to decide whether to approve planning applications)
- written by the local community
- a way to help communities ensure they get the right types of development, in the right place
Neighbourhood plans can:
- identify a vision for the area and set objectives for the next 5 to 20 years
- provide detailed planning policies setting out where new development should be located and how it should be designed
- allocate sites for different types of development such as housing, retail and office space
- designate areas of community greenspace
- identify key areas for improvement and set out proposals for them
Neighbourhood Plans are subject to consultation, examination and a referendum (vote). Once adopted they form part of the statutory development plan, alongside the Redbridge Local Plan (2018), and London Plan.
A Neighbourhood Plan must consider national planning policy, and be in general agreement with policies in the Redbridge Local Plan. It must also:
- contribute to the achievement of sustainable development
- be compatible with environmental obligations, as incorporated in UK law
- be compatible with human rights requirements
Find out more
Neighbourhood Planning Frequently Asked questions (PDF 62KB) can help explain how the process works and what can be achieved.
If you have any further questions on neighbourhood planning or are thinking of preparing a neighbourhood plan for your area, please get in touch with us at dpd@redbridge.gov.uk
