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The Hampstead Neighbourhood Forum wrote the Hampstead Neighbourhood Plan, which was supported by 91% of voters in a referendum and was formally adopted by the London Borough of Camden in 2018. The Neighbourhood Plan sits alongside the Camden local plan as part of the statutory structure that sets policies governing land use and development.
We are a group of volunteers, established in 2014. The Forum depends entirely on donations to meet its small running costs.
Following the adoption of the Plan, we adapted our mission towards bolstering and monitoring its effectiveness. We comment selectively on planning applications and we keep track of the outcomes on our Planning Watch page.
In addition, we carry out projects that are related to the Plan and will help shape policies in the future. We facilitate community discussions on relevant local topics. In 2022, we began a process that, we hope, will lead to revisions of the Plan, based on our experience of its operation and on views from within the Hampstead community.
The Neighbourhood Plan derived entirely from extensive public consultation, beginning with several public meetings in 2014. These led to the creation of a Vision document, upon which we received hundreds of comments. We went on to draft the Plan over the following four years. It was subject to further rounds of public consultation, inspection by an independent examiner, and the referendum vote.
The goal, in line with the views we had obtained from the community, was to create policies that would encourage good planning, and would retain and improve Hampstead’s unique character, streetscape and natural environment. Hampstead should offer a welcoming environment to businesses, and the area’s development should be sustainable socially and environmentally.
The Plan’s policies apply within the Forum’s designated area, which was set in 2014. It includes most of Hampstead Town ward and small parts of two neighbouring wards. Details of all neighbourhood forums within Camden, and all related documents, can be found on the Borough’s website.
If you would like more information about the Forum or would like to get involved, email us at info@hampsteadforum.org